Poland is seeking to purchase further military equipment from the US, including attack helicopters and air defence systems, as it looks to boost its defence capabilities in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
The Polish defence minister, Mariusz Błaszcak, yesterday headed for talks in Washington with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin. The two sides “agreed to work together to help the Polish military become one of the most capable in Europe”, said US Defence Department press secretary John Kirby.
I was pleased to welcome @mblaszczak to the Pentagon for a great meeting on our joint efforts to provide security assistance to Ukraine. Poland’s unwavering commitment to helping Ukraine and to fulfilling its responsibilities for the defense of NATO is truly admirable. #WeAreNATO pic.twitter.com/8nnIQAWBNE
— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) April 20, 2022
Austin and Błaszczak discussed the possibility of accelerating deliveries of military equipment already procured by Poland. Warsaw has so far reached agreements to purchase, among others, Patriot air defence systems, HIMARS rocket launchers, F-35 combat aircraft and 250 Abrams tanks.
But Błaszczak also revealed that the Polish government would soon “formally start the procedure for ordering further tranches of military equipment”, reports the Polish Press Agency (PAP).
This will include attack helicopters, drones and “further squadrons of multi-role aircraft”, said the defence minister, as well as additional HIMARS and Patriot deliveries.
Min. @mblaszczak: Rozmawiamy dziś w Pentagonie o kolejnych dostawach rakiet HIMARS i na temat kolejnych eskadr samolotów wielozadaniowych. Wkrótce będziemy rozmawiać o śmigłowcach szturmowych, bezzałogowcach, czyli o tym wszystkim co jest potrzebne, aby wzmocnić system obronny🇵🇱 pic.twitter.com/8QpnP9ha6g
— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) April 20, 2022
He is scheduled to hold talks today with the heads of US arms companies on the new purchases, including F-35 fighter jet manufacturer Lockheed Martin, Abrams tank manufacturer General Dynamics, and the Boeing Company.
Błaszczak noted that the purchases will be made possible thanks in part to the new Homeland Defence Act act introduced last month, which will boost defence spending to 3% of GDP, one of the highest levels in NATO.
The defence minister said that while in Washington he had “strongly emphasised the fact that strengthening Poland’s capabilities means strengthening the entire eastern flank of the North Atlantic Alliance”.
He also noted that the presence of US soldiers in Poland – whose numbers have recently been increased – is “the best deterrent in terms of Russian aggression” and “testament to the high level of Polish-American interoperability”.
In recent weeks, Poland has moved to enhance its capabilities in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. As well as boosting the defence budget and seeking an enhanced US presence, last week the government accelerated the delivery of new British air-defence missiles and launchers.
Main image credit: Ministestwo Obrony Narodowej (under CC BY 3.0 PL)
Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She previously worked for Reuters.
