One System and Expanded Access to Funding. Minister of Defence in the USA
Photo. Bartosz Bera / zoom.mon.gov.pl
The future of NATO, aid to Ukraine, purchases of American weaponry and integrating them into a single system—these are the topics that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz cited before his visit to the Pentagon, ahead of his departure with his deputy Paweł Zalewski to Washington. He emphasized the close relations between the two countries, exemplified by the sale of the IBCS battle management system to Poland.
“We are building the best possible Polish-American relationship. That is our foundation. The presence of American forces in Poland, capabilities, procurement, information sharing, strengthening our cyber-army—this is all happening continuously. Never in history have Polish-American relations been this good,” said Kosiniak-Kamysz.
He recalled that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made Poland his first bilateral foreign visit. “Today we are off to meet at the Pentagon, to discuss Poland’s security, the future of NATO, defense spending, the modernization of our army, the contracts we have signed and continue to sign, information exchange, aid to Ukraine, and our efforts to secure a just peace for our neighbor,” he outlined the planned agenda. He added that Poland is held up as a model for defense spending levels and is seen as a key U.S. partner in Europe.
“Very important is the topic of the Apache attack helicopters, the first eight of which will arrive in Poland this year; the F-35 implementation process is underway; there is the matter of an Abrams maintenance center; there is the question of linking all these systems into one; and something only we and the Americans have access to—the air defence ‘brain,’ IBCS.” According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the sale of this system to Poland expresses not only allied trust but also “great solidarity and friendship through thick and thin.”
As Zalewski said, the meetings will also address increasing the capabilities of the Polish army—a topic he has already discussed with Deputy Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby—as well as formal facilitation of technology transfer. “Today, decisions are being made on mechanisms to support sales of American weapons to our closest allies. We want to be in the very select group of allies who receive the greatest facilitation and also the greatest access to financial support,” the Deputy Minister stated.
Polish Ministry of DefenceAsked about the response to this autumn’s Russian Zapad exercise, Kosiniak-Kamysz recalled that at this year’s senior leadership briefing at the Ministry of Defence it was decided to return to divisional-level exercises, in which the 18th Mechanized Division will take part.