WASHINGTON - The United States and Romania are scheduled to sign a ballistic missile defense agreement on Tuesday, allowing for the deployment of SM-3 interceptors in the East European nation that target short and medium-range missiles, the State Department said on Monday.

It said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her Romanian counterpart Teodor Baconschi will sign the accord at the US State Department, noting that "this legally-binding agreement will allow for the establishment and operation of a US land-based SM-3 ballistic missile defense system in Romania," a NATO member.

In September 2009, US President Barack Obama revamped the missile defense plan adopted by the George W. Bush administration for a radar site and interceptor rockets in the Czech Republic and Poland, which had met vehement opposition from Russia.

In their summit in Lisbon, Portugal last November, NATO leaders agreed to develop a missile defense shield, linking systems in the United States and Europe to protect member states from long-range attacks.

The shield, which will be deployed in stages from 2011 until 2020 and involves the deployment of US interceptor missiles and radar in Europe, will be capable of intercepting long-range and intercontinental ballistic missiles.