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Poland bolsters eastern border defenses: deputy PM

22.05.2024 17:00
Poland aims to amplify its defense capabilities along its eastern border through the Shield East initiative, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Wednesday.
Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz speaks to lawmakers in Warsaw on Wednesday, May 22, 2024.
Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz speaks to lawmakers in Warsaw on Wednesday, May 22, 2024.Photo: PAP/Leszek Szymański

This strategic defense plan is part of a broader effort to bolster Poland’s military readiness amid rising border security challenges, including significant increases in unauthorized border crossings this year.

It combines traditional fortifications with advanced monitoring and reconnaissance technologies, and aims to integrate Polish companies in developing a comprehensive security framework.

Kosiniak-Kamysz said: "New technologies will be used for fortification. It will not just be concrete hedgehogs or palisades, it will not just be about deploying equipment at the right time and place. The aim is observational activity, full monitoring, reconnaissance operations, and anti-drone efforts."

He emphasized the urgency of strengthening national defense, acknowledging delays but underscoring the importance of current actions.

"There are delays, that's true, it would have been better to have made this decision two years ago, but it's never too late to do the right things," he said. "This is also why the decision was made to prepare a national defense and deterrence plan called Shield East."

Poland's border with Russia's Kaliningrad region runs to just over 200 kilometers, while the border with Belarus is a little over 400 kilometers long.

In his address to the Sejm, the lower house of Poland's parliament, Kosiniak-Kamysz also announced increased defense expenditures and the expansion of the military counterintelligence service.

(rt/gs)

Source: IAR, PAP