Poland has sharply increased its defense spending since the start of the war in Ukraine, placing arms orders with the US.
Article written by
Posted on 5/15/2023 3:09 PM Updated on 5/15/2023 3:17 PM
Reading time: 1 min
US-made Himars missile launchers will be presented by the Polish government upon receipt on May 15, 2023 in Warsaw, Poland. (JAAP ARRIENS / NURPHOTO / AFP)
Poland has received the first batch of US-made Himars missile launchers, which it intends to use in the border region with Russia, Poland’s defense minister announced on Monday (May 15). “This weapon will be used in the north-east of our country (…), its task will be to deter the attacker,” Mariusz Blaszczak told reporters.
Poland, a neighboring country of Ukraine which supports it heavily, bought 20 Himars in 2019 and has now received the first delivery of these systems. In March, the ministry announced that these long-range systems would equip a military unit based in Olsztyn, some 80 km from the border with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.
Poland has announced a significant increase in defense spending to 4% of gross domestic product. The prime minister said his country needed to rearm “faster” in the face of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to Warsaw, it is negotiating with the United States to acquire a significantly larger number of these weapons. “The US Congress has approved the sale of nearly 500 rocket launchers to Poland. They will be taken to Poland as soon as possible,” said Mariusz Blaszczak.
view comments
Share the article on social networks: