NATO forces in Poland are currently in the largest rearmament program in 5 decades, as Poland, Ukraine’s western neighbor, prepares to intervene in Ukraine and directly fight Russian forces whilst shoring up their borders.
For some added context: U.S. allied forces have already been building in Poland and have been on high-alert since Russia launched new operations one year ago. U.S. soldiers have also been deployed to neighboring Romania near the Ukrainian border to perform joint training exercises with NATO forces; and the U.S. has already sent some troops into Ukraine according to the Pentagon, to ‘oversee’ the operations, train the Ukrainians, and indirectly help the Ukrainians launch counterattacks.
Meanwhile, at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s request, fighter jets are being scrambled together and manufactured by the U.S. defense contractors for Ukraine. The WinePress has previously reported that stealth jets have been sent to Poland. The Polish President, Andrzej Duda, had also promised to send some of their tanks to Ukraine as well.
But at the same time Poland is facing a massive energy crisis as the people go cold as prices of energy and food continued to rise. Poland, like other NATO allies, levied restrictions against Russia, and one of these included embargos on Russian coal which Poland was heavily dependent on. Now there has been a massive supply crunch since then as the country has tried to make new contracts with other nations to resecure some coal supplies. Even so, some Polish neighborhoods and communities have resorted to burning trash and scraps to stay warm this winter, creating an awful stench and releasing tons of pollutants into the air.
Nevertheless Poland has embarked on the largest military rearmament scheme in 50 years.
The Telegraph has more details on this ongoing development:
Christmas came early for Captain Marek Adamiak and the troops of Poland’s 11th Artillery Regiment.
Stationed not far from the Russian border, his unit has long grappled with outdated kit.
But in mid-December they received 24 South-Korean made K9 self-propelled howitzers that can hit targets up to 34 miles away, bringing new and deadly capabilities to the regiment.
As an artillery officer I’m excited by the new equipment. We can maneuver better, we can shoot from anywhere. There is no place we can’t shoot from. We had a lot of old artillery but now we have very new weapons.
Captain Adamiak told The Telegraph.
Given the war happening in neighboring Ukraine, it’s given them the confidence that if conflict came to their doorstep, they would now have the weapons to fight back.
We can see from the way Ukrainians use artillery that they need to be very fast: into action, fire and move on.
He said.
The 24 guns now in his regiment’s care are just the tip of a massive defense spending program by Poland.
Spurred on by war next door and the growing fear that Poland could one day be in the sights of a Kremlin looking to return to the days when the Russian empire once stretched to River Vistula, the Polish government is determined to arm up – and fast.
This year it will spend 4 percent of its GDP on defense, an amount double the NATO requirement, and one that will make Poland the biggest, per-capita, spender on defense in the alliance.
Some of the deals for new equipment pre-date the Ukraine war when Poland, already conscious of the Russian threat, had started to revamp armed forces still burdened with a lot of Soviet-era equipment.
But Putin’s invasion turbo-charged the process, and prompted a host of new contracts to be signed as well.
The criminal assault carried out by the Russian Federation, targeting Ukraine, and the unpredictable nature of Putin means that we need to accelerate the equipment modernization even further.
It is of key importance to increase the levels of security as fast as possible for Poland. We can do this only by creating a strong military. Strong enough to deter any potential aggressor from deciding to attack.
Mariusz Blaszczak, the Polish defense minister, told the Defence24 portal.
No one can doubt Poland’s ambition.
To start with, it has placed orders for 1,000 K2 main battle tanks from South Korea, and 250 brand new M1A2 SEPv3 Abram tanks from the US. This will turn Poland into the owner of Europe’s biggest tank force, dwarfing the UK’s fleet of 227.
Its artillery will be bolstered by the arrival of 600 K9s, 18 HIMARS launchers with 9,000 rockets, and 288 K239 Chunmoo MRL systems from South Korea.
Over 1,000 Polish-made Borsuk infantry fighting vehicles will carry Polish troops into battle, while air cover will come from 96 AH-64E Apache helicopters bought from the US, and 48 FA-50 combat aircraft now on order from South Korea.
We are changing our equipment very, very quickly. It really is revolution, not evolution.
Captain Adamiak, said
All of this will be underscored by plans to double the size of the Polish Army to 300,000, which would turn Poland into Europe’s biggest military power, in terms of manpower, west of Ukraine.
Talks are also underway about building a “massive arms factory” in collaboration with the UK, in part to help produce and repair equipment and weapons destined for Ukraine.
The equipment, however, comes with a hefty price tag. Poland has enjoyed years of economic growth, and GDP is still predicted to grow this year despite the economic ramifications of the war in Ukraine, but the cost of its lavish defence spending spree is going to be substantial.
Poland plans to spend to spend some £85 billion by 2035 on weapons, and this year’s defence budget stands at a record PLN 97 billion (£18 billion) But Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, a Polish newspaper, has estimated the actual 2023 amount could soar to £24 billion when off-budget funds are included.
This level of spending is not without risks.
“I fear that all of this spending could drain the budget, if not properly managed” said Magdalena Jakubowska, a defence expert and vice president of Res Publica-Visegrad Insight, a foundation covering Central European politics.
The public may not be aware that there may well have to be cuts to certain—civilian projects. We’ve had stable economic growth for the past few years, but now we are close to a recession. If we don’t boost the economy with the EU money (from a pandemic recovery fund), which we still have not got, then the situation could become critical.
The European Commission has denied Poland access to around £30 billion in grants and cheap loans from the EU’s post-pandemic Recovery and Resilience Facility owing to a dispute over the rule of law. The Polish government has introduced legislation that might resolve the deadlock but for the time being the money remains out of reach.
To help Poland, last year, the US Congress approved $288.6 million (£239 million) in military financing to “deter and defend” against the increased threat from Russia. The cash will help but with inflation running at around 17 percent in Poland and economic growth slowing the defense budget could become difficult to meet.
Despite this, Ms Jakubowska added that so far Poles seem prepared to shoulder the financial burden.
With war, perhaps, just around the corner Poles realize you have to sacrifice to take care of the national interest. If people fear a war, then they are understanding.
Cross-party support for military spending also looks set to continue despite the deep and often bitter political divisions in Poland. Conscious of the threat posed by Russia, opposition parties have for the most part accepted the need for Warsaw to spend, at least for now -if only to avoid the fate of their neighbor.
Poland goes to the polls in the autumn, and defense, and who can best defend the country, will no doubt become an election issue.
I have said many times that it is better to be in debt, and even have to make cuts to budgets in other areas, than to be occupied.
Whoever has seen what is happening in Ukraine should have no doubt about this.
Said Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of Law and Justice, Poland’s governing party and considered by many to be the most powerful politician in the country, earlier this year.
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
[7] And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. [8] For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. Mark 13:7-8
It’s World War III: let’s just call it for what it is. This thing clearly, in my mind, is only going to escalate. But since American and European support continues to dwindle as the nations are just dumpster fires at this point, a false flag operation WILL be launched to “officially” kickstart WW III, guaranteed; and unfortunately a lot of people will probably have to be sacrificed, and in the wake of that all kinds of new restrictions and a tremendous loss of freedoms will be instigated.
Moreover, big-nose Zelensky has pompously said, in response to dwindling support for his war, said that if Ukraine loses (and they eventually will), that America will have to send “their sons and daughters” to battle and “they will be dying.” Zelensky is NATO’s little boytoy, and he is telegraphing what will eventually happen.
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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War is God’s judgement
Russia just shot down a USA drone.