Poland secures $4 billion in US military financing as American delegation scouts potential base sites

Poland secured another $4 billion in U.S.-backed military financing this week, marking the latest push by Warsaw to build up an arsenal heavy on American hardware as it deepens ties with Washington.

The agreement signed Wednesday gives Poland access to a U.S. foreign military loan guarantee for future American weapons contracts, Poland’s state development bank said in a statement.

It is Poland’s sixth agreement under the U.S. Foreign Military Financing program and comes as the country works toward its stated goal of becoming the main ground power in Europe. Poland, which hosts several thousand U.S. troops on a rotational basis, also is engaged in separate discussions about boosting the number of American service members and bases in the country.

“Poland is taking greater responsibility for the security of Europe,” Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said at the signing ceremony. “We are an absolute leader not only in spending, but in the courage and strategy that we present today.”

The agreement coincides with the visit to Poland by a U.S. delegation Thursday and Friday to inspect possible locations for permanent American bases, Polish Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Bejda told the Polish TVP news outlet.

Poland has pledged to fund a new base, which could cost about $3 billion.

“We will present them with several proposals,” Bejda said. “They will probably show us theirs as well, and we will talk about it.”

Bejda said the visit would include top Pentagon strategist Elbridge Colby and that it would involve a tour of potential base locations.

The U.S. already has a small permanent base in the city of Poznan, but it and other more austere locations are mainly home to rotational forces. Warsaw has been eager for a larger and more permanent presence.

The Pentagon is conducting an extensive review of its force posture in Europe, which could have significant implications for the future makeup of bases on the Continent. While many allies are anticipating troop reductions, forces could also be relocated from one country to another. Poland, which Trump administration officials have repeatedly touted as a model ally, has worked to sell itself as the ideal host for American forces.

Poland has also established itself as a top defense spender in NATO, dedicating roughly 4.5% of gross domestic product to its military.

As part of that buildup, the country has spent billions of dollars on some of the United States’ most prized weapon systems, including Abrams tanks, F-35 fighters, Patriot air defense systems and Apache attack helicopters.

The latest agreement raises the total U.S. support to Poland to nearly $20 billion, the State Department said in a Wednesday statement. It comes on the heels of an earlier $4 billion loan guarantee announced in July.