The US and Poland plan to expand military and defense industrial cooperation, with their defense chiefs discussing additional American troops, weapons purchases, and missile maintenance during a meeting at the Pentagon.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced plans to sign a statement of intent supporting further joint projects.
Kosiniak-Kamysz said officials were working on US President Donald Trump’s pledge to send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland.
Discussions also covered strengthening the permanent American military presence in the country, with the Polish minister saying further details could be announced soon.
He also welcomed Poland’s selection to host a European maintenance facility for Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles.
The site would allow European operators to repair and overhaul the missiles within the region, reducing maintenance turnaround times and strengthening supply chains.
‘NATO 3.0’
Poland’s growing purchases of US weapons also featured in discussions about Europe’s role in NATO.
Russia’s war in neighboring Ukraine has pushed Warsaw to raise defense spending to nearly 5 percent of GDP, with US-made tanks, F-35 fighters, AH-64 Apache helicopters, and Patriot air defense systems central to its rearmament.
Hegseth described the buildup as part of his vision of “NATO 3.0,” in which European allies take greater responsibility for their conventional defense as Washington shifts more attention toward the Pacific.
Longer-Term US Military Presence
The latest troop discussions build on Warsaw’s longer-term ambition to host around 15,000 US military personnel. The plan would combine 4,000 to 5,000 troops at a proposed permanent base with additional forces deployed on rotation.
Establishing the base would require significant infrastructure investment, with preparations expected to cost more than 15 billion zlotys ($4 billion).
Poland is also expanding its own armored forces, aiming to operate around 1,100 tanks by 2030 and 1,600 by 2032.
Its fleet includes US-made M1 Abrams, South Korean K2 Black Panthers, and German Leopards.
If achieved, the 2030 target would give Warsaw more tanks than Germany, Italy, the UK, and France currently operate combined, placing it among Europe’s largest armored forces.