President: Raised defence spending effective - News - National Security Bureau

13.03.2015

President: Raised defence spending effective

The present times are dangerous and we must do what we can to raise Poland's ability to defend its territory, President Bronislaw Komorowski said Friday in Rzeszow, southeast Poland.

Komorowski, visiting the Rzeszow-stationed Polish Independent Highland Brigade, said that the unit was good example of the effectiveness of Poland's 2001-launched military modernisation programme.

"It's important that we're becoming more modernised, and therefore have a greater ability to operate in areas which are becoming increasingly important", the president remarked. In this context he stressed that Poland's early decision to raise military spending was bringing positive effects.

Komorowski noted that other countries were following Poland's example and raising their defence budgets, including the Baltic states and Sweden, which was not a NATO member but a "meaningful country in its region".

Komorowski also appealed to politicians to refrain from criticising raised military expenses.

"We are living in dangerous times and we must think about security, so I would like to appeal for restraint in (propagating - PAP) the otherwise quite natural belief that there is always something else the money should go for", Komorowski admonished.

The 21st Polish Independent Highland Brigade is the biggest brigade in the Polish army with over 4,000 troops and ten sub-units. Its main task are combat operations in mountainous terrain. The brigade has taken part in several foreign operations, among others in Albania, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

Source: PAP