Paweł Soloch, head of the presidential National Security Bureau (BBN), told state news agency PAP on Monday that Poland would send four of its F-16 fighter aircraft and 140 military personnel to the Nordic country.
"The president has signed the agreement to create a Polish military contingent as part of the NATO operation in Iceland," Soloch said.
He added: "As of August 5, Poland will be joining the 10 countries of the North Atlantic Alliance which are responsible for protecting the NATO airspace over Iceland, helping aircraft which find themselves in emergency situations, and, if necessary, safeguarding the population against airborne attacks."
Iceland, a fellow NATO member, has no air force of its own, so its airspace is protected "collectively by the allies," Soloch explained.
"The Polish Air Force possesses huge experience in such missions because for over 15 years we have been taking part in a similar operation to protect the airspace over the Baltic states,” Soloch also said.
He revealed that the Polish contingent would encompass four F-16 fighter jets “with the requisite armaments and equipment” as well as 140 soldiers and army employees.
Its first tour of duty will last from August 5 to October 10.
'Key tenet of security'
"For President Andrzej Duda, Poland's participation in military missions is one of the key tenets of security policy," Soloch stated.
He added that such an approach "results in the country's stronger position in security matters on the international stage, but also in a practical tightening of cooperation with the armies of our allies."
Previously, Duda approved the creation of seven other Polish military contingents: for Sicily, Latvia, Iraq, Romania, Lebanon, Turkey, and Kuwait, according to Soloch.
This last contingent concluded its mission in 2018, he noted.
For such a force to be deployed abroad, it must receive the go-ahead from the president.
Launched in 2008, NATO's air-policing mission in Iceland is not a permanent presence in the country. Instead, the Alliance's forces stay there on a periodic basis and consist of planes as well as air and ground crews stationed at Keflavik Base, the PAP news agency reported.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP