NATO took command of a U.S.-built missile shield in Europe on Friday after France won assurances that the multi-billion-dollar system would not be under Washington's direct control.<br />The missile shield, billed as a defense against any strike by a "rogue state" against European cities, is one of the most sensitive aspects of U.S. military support for Europe.<br />Russia says the system is in fact intended by Washington to blunt its nuclear arsenal, which the U.S. denies.<br />"Today we have decided to declare initial operational capability of the NATO ballistic missile defence system," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference.
