Poland has received the first delivery of tanks and howitzers it purchased earlier this year as part of a series of large arms contracts with South Korea. The equipment was welcomed in a ceremony at the port of Gdynia by President Andrzej Duda and defence minister Mariusz Błaszczak.
In July, Warsaw concluded a $5.8 billion agreement with Seoul to buy 189 K2 tanks and 212 K9 self-propelled howitzers, in what is the Asian country’s largest-ever arms deal. Poland is also buying 48 FA-50 light combat aircraft and 288 K239 Chunmoo rocket artillery launchers.
“We want peace, so we are preparing for war,” said Błaszczak today, as he welcomed the first ten tanks and 24 howitzers to arrive. “We are strengthening by equipping the army with modern, state-of-the-art weapons…This gives the Polish army the tools to effectively deter the aggressor.”
#Gdynia 🇵🇱 #rozładunek #czołgiK2 🇰🇷 #armatohaubiceK9 🇰🇷 dla #WojskoPolskie 🇵🇱 pic.twitter.com/Hf4by7q8Nv
— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) December 5, 2022
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, Poland increased its defence budget to 3% of GDP – one of the highest levels in NATO – and has embarked on an arms procurement spree, which has included ordering equipment from the US as well as South Korea.
“We know very well that today, when there is a war going on, when Russia is trying to rebuild its empire, it is a well-equipped army that is the best argument to deter the aggressor,” added Błaszczak. “This is an important day for the history of the Polish army.”
President Duda thanked South Korea for the rapid arrival of the first shipment. “No one needs to have it explained how important the tempo of delivery of equipment is in the current situation,” he said. “Only the heroism of a soldier equipped with modern weapons is able to stop Russian imperial ambitions and Russian brutality.”
"The Polish army will become the most powerful land force in Europe," said the defence minister earlier this year https://t.co/EVanuDXz5W
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) November 21, 2022
The newly arrived tanks and howitzers will be transferred to northeastern Poland in the coming days. Błaszczak noted that Polish troops have been in South Korea to receive training in their use.
Under its agreement with Seoul, Poland aims to eventually have 1,000 K2 tanks and 672 K9 howitzers, including “polonised” versions produced in Poland, reports Business Insider Polska. In total, Poland’s arms purchases from South Korea this year have reached $12.3 billion.
On Saturday, around 800 pieces of US military equipment – including M1 Abrams tanks – also arrived at the port in Gdynia. They will be stationed in Europe for the next nine months as part of the 1st Infantry Division, reports TVN24.
800 sztuk amerykańskiego sprzętu wojskowego przypłynęło do Polski. W sobotę w porcie w Gdyni prowadzony jest rozładunek, który potrwa do niedzieli.https://t.co/Mn1DDOTufz
— tvn24 (@tvn24) December 3, 2022
Main image credit: Jakub Szymczyk/KPRP
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
