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Polish defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and his US counterpart, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, have signed a statement of intent on strengthening cooperation between their defence industries.
“Today, we are taking the next steps in our alliance,” declared Hegseth, while Kosiniak-Kamysz said that the move signalled that Poland is now “not only a model ally…but has become a strategic partner of the United States”.
The Polish defence minister added that he would also push for equipment jointly manufactured by Poland and the US to be eligible for EU defence funding. “Poland is the US ambassador in the EU,” he declared.
Wicepremier W. @KosiniakKamysz z #Waszyngton: to chyba moja najważniejsza i przełomowa wizyta w USA. To moment, w którym mogę powiedzieć, że Polska jest nie tylko modelowym sojusznikiem, ale stała się strategicznym partnerem USA. pic.twitter.com/75xdgzIaG0
— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) November 10, 2026
Kosiniak-Kamysz was welcomed by Hegseth in Washington to discuss a range of issues relating to security cooperation. A major item on the agenda was Poland’s desire for a new permanent US military base on its territory.
After the meeting, Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters that there was a “green light from the Pentagon” for the base, with the final decision now resting with the White House. He said that was expected to be made in early December.
Hegseth, meanwhile, praised Poland for embracing the “NATO 3.0” concept, under which the US wants Europe to take on more responsibility for its own defence.
“Poland is building one of the most formidable armies in Europe, ready to secure and defend its territory,” said the Secretary of War, who noted that Warsaw is “leading by example” with its high levels of defence spending.
Hegseth also welcomed the fact that Poland is investing significantly in US equipment, including Abrams tanks, F-35 fighter jets, Apache helicopters and Patriot air-defence systems.
“You are building a fully modernised, interoperable force, and our two nations are…giving military cooperation industrial depth as well,” said the secretary of war.
Hegseth also reaffirmed Washington’s desire for a peace deal in Ukraine and “encouraged Kosiniak-Kamysz to continue Poland’s steadfast support of Ukraine”, said Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell.
American defense technology is driving innovation and creating new opportunities for transatlantic industrial cooperation.@USAmbNATO Matthew Whitaker, Assistant Secretary of Commerce David Fogel @CommerceGov and @USAmbPoland Tom Rose met with Deputy Minister of Defence… pic.twitter.com/5etw1L3X5A
— US Embassy Warsaw (@USEmbassyWarsaw) November 10, 2026
Kosiniak-Kamysz said that the statement of intent he had signed with Hegseth was aimed at ensuring more US equipment was manufactured and maintained in Poland itself, including technology transfers.
He also said that he wants to secure European funds for jointly produced US equipment. The EU’s SAFE programme of defence loans, for example, largely excludes US manufacturers.
“We want American equipment manufactured by Polish-American companies to benefit from European funding. I will present such a position next Tuesday at the meeting of EU defence ministers,” said Kosiniak-Kamysz. “Poland is the US ambassador to the EU.”
The meeting between the two defence secretaries also coincided with the Transatlantic Defence Industry Access Forum, which brought together 70 Polish and 80 American firms, with the aim of strengthening ties between the two countries’ defence industries.
W ostatnich dniach dobra decyzja o utworzeniu w Polsce centrum serwisowego rakiet Patriot, a dziś podpisaliśmy kolejne porozumienie z USA, które przyspieszy współpracę naszych przemysłów zbrojeniowych.
Chcemy, by więcej uzbrojenia powstawało i było naprawiane w Polsce. To nowe… pic.twitter.com/j24E2xON66
— Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (@KosiniakKamysz) November 10, 2026
Last month, the United States chose Poland as the location for a planned facility for servicing and maintaining Patriot missiles – the first to be located outside the US itself.
In July, it was announced that Polish state defence group PGZ would become the first European producer of American Barracuda-500M cruise missiles. In May, an agreement was signed to establish a centre in Poland for servicing the engines of Abrams tanks.
That same month, President Donald Trump announced that his country would station an additional 5,000 troops in Poland, prompting Warsaw to formally request the establishment of a new US military base, which President Karol Nawrocki has suggested should be called “Fort Trump”.
Main image credit: MON (under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
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.
