The United States delegation on September 10 and 11 watches 5 locations under permanent military bases in western Poland. The Polish authorities besides show the capabilities of the national arms industry, including cooperation with the Patriot system. There is no decision yet, but the consequence may be a more permanent deterrence of Russia and a multi-billion-dollar bill for the Polish state.
Five locations in the west of Poland
The American delegation conducts a two-day reconnaissance of places that Poland proposes under permanent bases of US troops. As determined by RMF FM, there are 5 locations on the list, all in the western part of the country. The areas of Poznań, Biedrusko and Bolesławiec are publically listed. The full MON list has not yet been released.
MON Deputy Chief Paweł Bejda explained that the Polish side presents its own proposals, and the Americans can indicate further seats. The number of bases is to find NATO's operational needs and Pentagon decisions. This is the next phase of the talks The National diary reported upon the establishment of negotiating teams in the USA and Poland.
The delegation includes Thomas DiNano, US Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and global Security, and William Cappelletti, Deputy Secretary of War for NATO and Europe. Paweł Zalewski showed Cappelletti the site of the present station of American soldiers.
Bases must service to defend Poland
Permanent presence is different from rotational presence. It means permanent assignment of units and facilities, and in practice besides infrastructure for families of soldiers. That is why Americans consider access to airports, highways, schools, hospitals and universities. Western Poland besides has a logistical advantage and lies further distant from the border for which the Russian war is taking place in Ukraine.
Poland needs a strong alliance with the United States, but the alliance must strengthen our ability to defend ourselves. The base cannot be an costly symbol or a substitute for the Polish Army. It should bring real combat, reconnaissance, logistics and air defence capabilities to the country, which will increase the price of possible aggression against the Republic of Poland.
The cost will be serious. Paweł Bejda spoke of a twelve or even a fewer billion zlotys spread over many years. Poland is to finance the preparation and maintenance of infrastructure. The government should so clarify the scope of the commitments, agenda and military benefits. Without this many years of spending, it will be hard to make a fair assessment.
Patriot and Polish arms industry
The second way of the visit concerns the defence industry. Deputy Minister Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka and Thomas DiNno visited Military Electronic Works in Zielonka, a company of the Polish Armed Forces Group cooperating with American partners in the Patriot strategy components and PAC-3 program. The talks include the location of a rocket service centre in Poland and further joint industrial projects.
It's a national interest direction. Poland must not only stay a payer and recipient of ready-to-use weapons. Service, component production, human resources training and technology access mean shorter supply chains, jobs and greater resilience during the crisis. PAC-3 components are already being created in Poland, although full production of the projectile remains the subject of talks.
In July Poland, USA, Germany, Netherlands and Sweden signed agreement on the servicing of PAC-3 missiles in Europe. Warsaw is seeking the center to be established in our country. A visit to Zielonka shows Americans the existing competences, but the presentation itself is not yet a contract or a warrant of technology transfer.
Without triumphalism before the Pentagon's decision
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stressed that the decision belongs to the American side. It's an crucial reservation. A five-seat reconnaissance test indicates that the conversation is advanced, but does not find the location, nor the number of bases, nor the scope of forces stationed.
Poland's right state requires 2 things at once: permanent anchoring of US troops in our territory and expanding its own army and defence industry. If negotiations bring permanent units, circumstantial capabilities and technology for Polish plants, they will be a real strengthening of security. If they end up mainly with an infrastructure bill, the government will gotta explain to Poles precisely what they paid for.
Source: WP News, RMF24, Ministry of Defence
Source: WP News
