President: Polish defence policy confirmed - News - National Security Bureau

11.03.2015

President: Polish defence policy confirmed

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict has confirmed Poland's defence policy consisting in military modernisation, anchoring defence spending in the GDP and the priority treatment of territorial defence, President Bronislaw Komorowski said during a briefing of Defence Ministry and armed forces executives.

Komorowski, opening a briefing of Defence Ministry and armed forces executives, remarked that the Russia-Ukraine conflict has brought negative changes in the security environment of Poland and its region. He added that the changes appear to be permanent or at least long-standing. In this context the president said that Poland's decisions about defence have been proven right.

"We took the right decision in speeding up the modernisation of our army in 2001, and we were right to pursue a sound and reliable financing system for military modernisation projects", Komorowski said, referring to a law which anchored defence spending in the national GDP.

In effect, Komorowski said, Poland's defence budget has doubled to PLN 32 billion.

Defence Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said current events in the East constituted a challenge which put military security in the focus of attention in Poland.

"We are aware what key moment in history we have found ourselves in. War in a neighbouring country is a huge challenge for Poland and NATO", Siemoniak observed.

Present at the briefing was German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen, who confirmed Germany's intention to participate in the expansion of a Szczecin, northwest Poland-based NATO multinational corps as a security mainstay on Poland's eastern frontier, which is also NATO's eastern flank.

 

Source: PAP