The United States has concluded a defense action with Poland that will pave the way for more American troops to deploy to the Eastern European nation.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak signed the deal on Saturday, called the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which makes Poland a critical part of the US military presence in Europe.
“This will also strengthen the guarantee that our soldiers will stand shoulder to shoulder in the event of any kind of danger, whether it is a threat to Poland or one to the US,” Polish President Andrzej Duda said after the ceremony.
US President Donald Trump voted in favor, in a statement issued by the White House.
“The agreement will enhance our military cooperation and increase the US military presence in Poland to further strengthen NATO’s dismantling, support European security and help ensure democracy, freedom and sovereignty,” it said. .
Together with the additional presence of troops, the agreement would make Poland the headquarters of the leadership of the US Army V Corps, based primarily in Fort Knox, Kentucky. About 200 members of that unit will now be on a rotational basis in Poland.
Currently, about 4,500 U.S. military personnel are stationed in European NATO member states, but there is no permanent base for it.
Poland has long pressed for a permanent presence, which sees it as a guarantee against any potential Russian aggression. Russia has criticized NATO’s planned presence so close to its borders.
The deal with US-Poland came two weeks after Washington announced plans to withdraw nearly 12,000 troops from Germany, about half of which would be distributed to other NATO countries, including Poland, Belgium and Italy, and the rest back to the US. .
The Trump administration has repeatedly criticized Germany, one of the US’s closest allies since World War II, saying it did not meet its funding obligations to NATO.
“The opportunities are limitless, the resources will be available,” Pompeo said at a news conference after the deal was signed.
“Troop levels matter … but so has the world,” Pompeo said, referring to threats posed in space, cyberspace and disinformation campaigns. He said the deal would address those threats as well.
The deal would also strengthen other aspects of US-Polish cooperation, he added, citing primarily investment and trade ties.
Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said the presence of US troops “improves our wealth potential because we are closer to the potential source of conflict”.
“It is important that they are deployed here in Poland and not in Germany,” he said.
After the signing ceremony, Pompeo arrived at Duda and other Polish leaders at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to mark the centenary of Poland’s land recapture against the Russian Bolsheviks in 1920 during the Polish-Soviet War.
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
.
