The United States' plans to place ballistic missile defense (BMD) installations in Central Europe will fuel one of the geopolitical trends affecting the region: the ongoing contest between the United States and Russia. Although the BMD system's official purpose is to counter threats from rogue nations like North Korea and Iran, Moscow is aware that these systems will come with an increased U.S. troop presence in the battleground region of Central Europe. However, the BMD plans are long term and depend on numerous other factors, such as the United States' ability to shift its attention away from the Middle East and Russia's ability to increase its influence in its near abroad and in Europe.
