Poland proposes to help fund US troops in country
Poland has a proposal to welcome a permanent deployment of US troops to the country, including helping to defray the costs, the defence ministry confirmed on 29 May, amid fears over recent aggression by neighbouring Russia.
Pawel Soloch, head of the office of national security at the Polish Presidency, had revealed in a television interview that a defence ministry ‘information document’ showed that Poland could spend between $1.5 to $2 billion to help cover the cost of a US tank unit.
Soloch said: ‘Yes, we are interested in the presence of American forces in our country and we have submitted – including to think tanks – some options that we could offer if such decisions were adopted.’
Contacted by AFP, the defence ministry confirmed the ‘Proposal for a US Permanent Presence in Poland’, which has been passed on to several governmental institutions, Congress and main think-tanks.
Moscow's annexation of Crimea and involvement in the insurgency in eastern Ukraine have raised concerns among NATO member countries like Poland which border Russia about increased aggression.
The proposal published in the Polish media triggered an immediate response from Moscow.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said that ‘the progressive expansion of NATO military structures near our borders... will not benefit in any way the security and stability on the continent’ and will lead ‘to reciprocal measures by Russia to restore the balance (of power) each time it is violated.’
According to the document published by Onet.pl, the Polish funds would be used to improve infrastructure ahead of the potential arrival of American soldiers.
Some elements of a US tank brigade were deployed to Poland on a temporary basis in January 2017 as part of measures to reassure countries in the region bordering Russia.
Poland has also received the support of a multinational NATO battalion under US command.
More from Land Warfare
-
![Romania opens the chequebook and reorganises as it watches Russian aggression]()
Romania opens the chequebook and reorganises as it watches Russian aggression
Romania is retiring old systems, some Soviet, and replacing them with western equipment from countries such as Sweden and Turkey and boosting existing modern fleets.
-
![UK fires Archer for first time in live-fire exercise]()
UK fires Archer for first time in live-fire exercise
Exercise Dynamic Front 25 is part of a series of NATO exercises that will run until 26 November.
-
![Milrem picks Texelis for partnership in drive to develop large UGV]()
Milrem picks Texelis for partnership in drive to develop large UGV
Milrem has delivered or is building a total of 200 Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry System UGVs and has chosen Texelis as partner in its effort to develop a UGV.
-
![Sweden takes delivery of first M3 amphibious bridge and ferry system]()
Sweden takes delivery of first M3 amphibious bridge and ferry system
The most recent nation to join NATO has joined other member nations in using the M3 system.
-
![CV90 delivery to Slovakia imminent]()
CV90 delivery to Slovakia imminent
Slovakia is undergoing a radical refresh of its equipment, like many central and eastern European countries, and the arrival of new vehicles will form a substantial part of this.
-
![Mortar mobility: Patria’s TREMOS takes aim at the modern battlespace]()
Mortar mobility: Patria’s TREMOS takes aim at the modern battlespace
In conversation... Patria’s Lauri Pauniaho talks to Shephard's Gerrard Cowan about how high mobility levels are essential for mortar systems in the face of modern counter-battery fire, and how a new platform-agnostic module can combine existing vehicles and mortar barrels into a cost-effective new weapon system.
