Wicepremier, szef MON: Komitet Rady Ministrów ds. Bezpieczeństwa omówi sytuację na Bliskim Wschodzie i jej wpływ na działania polskich kontyngentów wojskowych w tegionie
Photo. Jakub Borowski, Defence24.pl
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All allies agreed to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, German Patriot missile systems will remain at the airport in Jasionka until the end of the year, Norway will send its F-35s again, and Australia will support Poland with an early warning aircraft, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, who participated in the NATO summit in The Hague.
„There is a positive decision on 5% spending on armaments, modernization, transformation, military mobility, and all matters related to the security of our countries,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz on Wednesday at the summit in The Hague. He emphasized that „there is no country that would oppose this.” After discussions between defense ministers and foreign ministers, and some persuasion, there is agreement on five percent; this will be the most important outcome of the summit,” he added.
He drew attention to the statement made by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on behalf of the German government that German Patriot missile systems will remain at the airport in Jasionka until at least the end of this year. „Thank you very much. This is a NATO mission, Germany is fulfilling its obligations to the Alliance,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
The head of the Ministry of Defense, who met with Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik, announced that Norwegian F-35s will once again strengthen surveillance of Polish airspace. „There are more and more violations of airspace over the Baltic Sea—not only by Poland, but by various countries—which makes allied support all the more necessary,” he said.
Poland will receive support not only from its allies: Australia, a partner country, has announced that it will send its early warning and reconnaissance aircraft to be stationed in Poland. „These are tangible results of the summit, apart from the five percent declaration,” the head of the Ministry of National Defense emphasized. The arrival of Norwegian fighter jets and the Australian E-7 Wedgetail is expected to take place within weeks.
He reported a positive response from allies to the invitation to participate in the „Iron Defender” divisional exercise planned for September, which is to be conducted by the newly formed 18th Mechanized Division. „The United States and Turkey, the largest NATO armies, will definitely be there, but also Slovakia, Finland, and Canada; almost all countries are interested in participating, supporting, and demonstrating their strength in the Alliance,” said the deputy prime minister. The resumption of divisional exercises was announced in February this year by the Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, General Wiesław Kukuła.
Referring to the increase in defense spending, he called Poland an example and a „model ally” that the United States could refer to when calling on other NATO countries to increase their financial efforts. He recalled that a year ago, several countries did not meet the 2% GDP requirement, „and at the next summit, we decided that we would spend 5% – 3.5% on heavy equipment and 1.5% on military infrastructure.” „There is no way out, this is an absolute priority. It is not about depriving anyone, but about ensuring that other areas can also be developed,” he said, adding that security is the basis and a prerequisite for other activities. He reminded that in Poland, defense is financed not only from the budget, but also from the Armed Forces Support Fund; another source will be the EU. He expressed his conviction that Poland should spend 5 percent of its GDP on defense starting next year.