Arms supplies to Poland at risk? Kosiniak-Kamysz warns against delays from the USA

Deputy Prime Minister and head of the Ministry of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Wednesday that delays in deliveries of military equipment from the US due to the situation in the Middle East may also apply to Poland. We are in contact with the American side, he added.

The Minister of National Defense was asked on Wednesday on Radio Zet about possible delays in deliveries of missiles for anti-missile systems ordered from the US due to the situation in the Persian Gulf.

– Such delays may occur. We are in contact with the American side and the information that there may be delays in some areas should not be very severe, but they may be and may also apply to Poland – said Kosiniak-Kamysz.

When asked whether it was a matter of weeks or years, he replied that catching up with the production capacity of industries – both American and European – would take “unfortunately years, not months.”

Already in early March, the head of the Ministry of National Defense said, referring to the situation in the Middle East, that the huge consumption of ammunition by the United States may affect Poland and Europe. For this reason, among others – the head of the Ministry of National Defense pointed out – Europe and Poland “must be independent in the supply of the equipment it can produce so that there are no such delays.”

The war between Israel and the US against Iran began on February 28. Iran has virtually closed the Strait of Hormuz, allowing only selected vessels through and blocking hundreds of others. The authorities in Tehran also announced that they would charge a fee for sailing through the strait.

Recently, US President Donald Trump announced that he would extend the ceasefire with Iran introduced two weeks ago until Tehran submits a new proposal to end the war and conclude talks on this topic.

Currently, the most advanced missiles for Patriots – PAC-3 MSE – are produced by the American company Lockheed Martin, several hundred each year; the company declared an increase in production capacity to approximately 2,000 in 2030. For many countries, stocks of these missiles are crucial for effective defense against various types of air threats.

Patriot systems play a key role in the emerging Polish air defense system – under the Wisła program, the Polish Army is to receive 8 batteries of this system, i.e. a total of 64 launchers, of which the first two batteries reached full operational readiness in December last year. The Wisła program is also one of the most expensive projects in the modern history of the modernization of the Polish army. (PAP)

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