Pentagon may increase U.S. military contingent in Poland
James Mattis, the United States Secretary of Defense, stated that the United States is open for discussing the possibility of increasing its military contingent in Poland, DW reports. Mattis announced this information during a meeting with Polish Defense Minister, Mariusz Blaszczak, emphasizing that Poland is America’s ally in NATO.
“We are placing troops in NATO in accordance with the requirements of security,” Mattis stated. “Therefore, we are always open to such discussions.”
In 2017, NATO deployed four international battalions in Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia due to aggravated relations with Moscow following Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
At the end of March, Poland and the United States signed a contract for the supply of two Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems, costing 3.8 billion euros in total. Poland will receive these systems by 2022.
It was recently reported that Baltic state leaders plan to ask U.S. President Donald Trump to increase the region’s military contingent.