The declaration signed on Sept. 23 further details the locations and types of this military presence. The United States will station an area support group, air force, combat, and special operation force units in the Western part of Poland. A combat training center will also be established for joint use by the Polish and U.S. armed forces.
Additionally, both countries will determine the most suitable location in Poland for an armored brigade combat team.
As stated in the
prior agreement, Poland has offered to provide and sustain, at no cost to the United States, jointly determined infrastructure necessary for the efficient functioning of the U.S. forces in Poland, as well as to provide additional support to the U.S. forces, above the NATO host-nation standard.
“To strengthen our security through American presence, I understand that we have to also bear some costs associated with it,” said Duda.
Duda further clarified that Poland is also ready to prepare at its own expense the necessary infrastructure required for the permanent presence of US forces. The cost of such infrastructure would about 2 billion dollars and this estimate takes into account Polish reality, that is the actual prices—as they are in Poland—of the work that needs to be performed, said Duda.
According to a
report produced by Daniel Kochis for The Heritage Foundation “Poland is situated in the center of Europe, sharing a border with four NATO allies, as well as a long border with Belarus and Ukraine, and a 144-mile border with Russia alongside the Kaliningrad Oblast. Poland, because of its large size, geographic location, and historical experience has become the lynchpin of security in Eastern Europe since joining NATO on March 12, 1999.”
“Poland is a crucial European ally and one that sees eye-to-eye with the U.S. on the threat from Russia,” wrote Kochis.
James Jay Carafano in a
commentary on The Heritage Foundation website points out that a permanent U.S. military base in Poland could be a key element in the NATO’s forward defense strategy. Carafano stated that such a presence would send a strong message to Russia and will have an effect of deterring potential aggression.
Visa Waivers for Poland
An important element of strengthening ties between NATO allies and enhancing security in the region is the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP).
The VWP establishes standards for intelligence sharing to counter terrorism and aid criminal investigation, as well as for secure passport control practices.
U.S. law requires that countries participating in VWP should have less than 3 percent of visa applications denied. During his visit to Poland in September this year
Vice-President Mike Pence said that all information needed to determine if Poland satisfies this requirement should be assembled by the end of this month.
