The nonprofit RAND research organization has recommended a temporary boost in U.S. military presence in Poland to support Warsaw’s pursuit of modernizing the Polish Armed Forces’ air, land and sea assets. The recommendation is one of the U.S. initiatives the organization suggested in a report published last week, National Defense Magazine reported Tuesday.
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The 64-page report, titled “Polish Armed Forces Modernization: A New Cornerstone of European Security?“, listed the main focus areas of Polish defense spending, including land forces expansion to strengthen further the defense of the country’s shared borders with Russia and Belarus.
According to RAND, other Polish defense build-up initiatives call for:
- the acquisition of modern fighter aircraft and three advanced warships;
- the replacement of main battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and artillery systems; and
- new armaments for the country’s attack helicopters.
The report’s authors noted that a stronger American military presence in Poland would signal a deep U.S. appreciation of European allies’ sharing a larger role in regional security.
They also recommended that the U.S. accelerate Poland’s procurement of American-made defense equipment and increase funding for direct loans and training support for newly equipped Polish defense forces.
The report also suggested continuing engagement between the U.S. European Command and the Polish defense ministry to better understand the deterrence and defense implications of the shifting balance of power on NATO’s eastern frontier.