Mariusz Błaszczak made the announcement in the Polish capital on Tuesday, state news agency PAP reported.
Speaking during a ceremony at the Polish Army Command, the defence minister said: “We can all be proud of the fact that the Polish Army is developing fast, both in terms of troop numbers and the modernisation of equipment.”
Błaszczak announced: “At the military parade to mark Polish Armed Forces Day, in Warsaw on August 15, our cutting-edge military equipment will be presented to the public.”
He told the gathering that, amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Poland had moved to purchase HIMARS rocket artillery systems, F-35 stealth fighter jets and Abrams battle tanks from the United States, as well as K239 Chunmoo rocket artillery systems and FA-50 light combat aircraft from South Korea, among other modern weaponry.
The first company of 14 Abrams tanks was due to reach Poland on Tuesday night, he added.
Błaszczak also said that Poland recently launched a new-generation short-range air-defence system, called Mała Narew (Small Narew).
He stressed that “the strength of the army is linked to its troop numbers” and is "further enhanced by allied cooperation and interoperability” with partner NATO forces, the PAP news agency reported.
This year's military parade to celebrate Polish Armed Forces Day will be held in Warsaw for the first time since 2018, according to officials.
In 2019, the annual event was staged in the southern city of Katowice, before being cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and in 2022 due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the PAP news agency reported.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
Wednesday is day 490 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, wpolityce.pl