Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak and US officials attended the ceremony to formally upgrade the US military presence in Poland amid the war in Ukraine, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The event was held in the western Polish city of Poznań, at the headquarters of the US Army V Corps’ Forward Command, officials said.
The new US Army garrison in Poland is based at Camp Kościuszko, named after the 18th-century Polish-American independence hero.
‘Important event in the history of Poland’: defence minister
Błaszczak hailed “the formation of the first permanent US Army garrison on Polish territory,” as “an important event both in the history of Poland and in the history of Polish-American relations.”
He said: “We appreciate it very much that US troops are on a permanent basis in our country. It is very important that the Western world remains united.”
The defence minister added: “This is good news for the security of Poland and of NATO’s eastern flank.”
Błaszczak, who is also a deputy prime minister, said his country’s military cooperation with the United States was “exemplary.”
He noted the Polish army was being equipped with various US-made weaponry, including Abrams tanks, HIMARS artillery rocket systems and F-35 multi-role combat aircraft, the PAP news agency reported.
There are over 10,000 American soldiers stationed in Poland, the Associated Press news agency reported.
Previously, these troops belonged to Area Support Group Poland, which has now been upgraded to form the first US Army garrison on NATO’s eastern flank, a decision announced by US President Joe Biden at last year’s summit of the NATO alliance, the AP noted.
Elsewhere in Europe, the US Army has five garrisons in Germany, one in Belgium and one in Italy, according to officials.
Many thousand US troops have been deployed for years to Poland and other NATO eastern-flank allies for the purposes of deterrence, but their numbers and role have grown notably due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the AP reported.
‘Historic moment': US ambassador
The American ambassador to Poland, Mark Brzezinski, hailed the launch of US Army Garrison Poland as a “historic moment,” marking “another key phase in Polish-American relations,” the PAP news agency reported.
He said it signified America’s commitment to Poland and NATO and that “we are united” in the face of Russian aggression, according to PAP.
Brzezinski later said in a Polish-language tweet: “The launch of a new US Army garrison in Poznań is another milestone, ensuring lasting security and protection of Poland. As President Biden stresses, the United States needs Poland and NATO, just as Poland and NATO need the United States.”
Tuesday is day 391 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, Associated Press, europeafrica.army.mil