NATO to Boost Missile Defenses in East to Counter Russian Threat

US soldiers by the NATO missile shield in Deveselu, Romania.Photographer: Kay Nietfeld/dpa/AP Photo

NATO plans to bolster its missile-defense systems as part of an effort to shield the alliance’s eastern flank from attack, a move likely to stoke tensions with Russia.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization member states are discussing for the first time combining the alliance’s ballistic missile shield with other integrated missile-defense assets, according to people familiar with the deliberations.