US chooses Poland to host service facility for Patriot missiles

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

The United States has chosen Poland to host a new centre for servicing and maintaining missiles used in Patriot air defence systems, in a decision described as “historic” by both Washington and Warsaw. It was chosen ahead of bids from four other European countries, including Germany.

The new centre will “dramatically shorten turnaround times and further secure critical supply lines”, said the US Department of War, announcing the decision on Tuesday.

Undersecretary of War Michael P. Duffey added that the choice of a country on NATO’s eastern front “sends a clear message [that] the Alliance is united, serious about deterrence, and ready to back our words with action”.

The decision was welcomed by Polish leaders, with defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz saying that it shows “Poland is a trusted ally and holds an extremely important place on the map of global security”.

His deputy minister, Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, said that Poland was chosen ahead of rival bids from Germany, the Netherlands and Norway to host the facility. However, US ambassador to Poland Thomas Rose indicated that Sweden, not Norway, was the fourth candidate.

Kosiniak-Kamysz and Sobkowiak-Czarnecka both pointed to the role President Karol Nawrocki had played in securing the deal. On many issues, the government is in conflict with the opposition-aligned president, but the two sides worked together on the Patriot bid.

Nawrocki, a conservative, is a close ally of his US counterpart, Donald Trump. The Polish president’s national security advisor, Bartosz Grodecki, claimed that it was “thanks to a conversation between” the two presidents that the new Patriot servicing centre was being established in Poland.

The head of Nawrocki’s foreign policy office, Marcin Przydacz, meanwhile, thanked Washington for choosing Poland to host the new centre.

“The Polish-American alliance and the good atmosphere in relations once again yield results,” he declared. “We can see what positive effects the President’s activity brings for Poland.”

Poland is one of a number of European countries that operate Patriot air defence systems. Others include Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Romania, Sweden and Ukraine.

The new centre will service the PAC-3 missiles used in Patriot batteries. The competition to host the facility was announced in July, with the selection made by the US government in conjunction with American defence giant Lockheed Martin, the producer of missiles.

In its press release, the Pentagon emphasised that, although Poland would host the new centre, its work would “be underpinned by robust, transatlantic industrial cooperation, with critical supply chain integration led by Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden”.

Global demand for Patriot systems has risen significantly, with the United States expending at least 1,500 interceptors in its war with Iran, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Patriot systems have also been crucial in Ukraine’s defence against Russian ballistic missile attacks, although Ukraine’s supply of missiles is now almost entirely exhausted.

After Trump recently suggested that he would authorise Ukraine to produce its own missiles, Poland offered to host any such factory, to ensure its security. However, today’s announcement concerns a site for maintaining and servicing, rather than producing, the missiles.

The decision cements Poland’s position as one of Washington’s most important security partners in Europe. War secretary Pete Hegseth has praised Poland as a “model ally”, noting that it has for years met NATO’s defence spending targets, unlike many other member states.

Poland has also been a significant customer for US defence firms. Between 2021 and 2025, Poland was NATO’s biggest arms importer, with 44% of the equipment it purchased coming from American suppliers.

Last year, Poland signed a $2 billion deal for the US to provide logistical support and training for Patriot systems. This year, it was announced that Polish state defence group PGZ would become the first European producer of American Barracuda-500M cruise missiles.

Warsaw is also currently lobbying for a new permanent US military base to be established in Poland, with the government and the president once again putting aside their differences to promote the idea.

Last month, Nawrocki claimed that the proposed base, which he said would be called “Fort Trump”, was “confirmed”. However, Washington has not publicly announced any final decision.

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Main image credit: mł. chor. Aleksander Perz, 18 Dywizja Zmechanizowana

Leo Greenberg

Leo Greenberg is an assistant editor at Notes from Poland. Based in Kyiv, he writes about global politics, Europe and America, and the war in Ukraine.