WASHINGTON - The US State Department said on Friday that Washington welcomed Turkey's decision to host an early warning radar as part of NATO's missile defense system.

"The US welcomes Turkey's decision to host a missile defense radar in support of NATO's common missile defense efforts and appreciates this significant Turkish contribution to a vital NATO mission," said State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland.

She said the US was "proud to work with Turkey on the deployment of this important asset," reaffirming America's commitment to work with its allies and partners to defend against the threat of ballistic missiles.

In November last year, members of NATO agreed at the organization's Lisbon summit to develop a missile defense system to fully protect all NATO members in Europe against threat posed by the proliferation of ballistic missiles.