USA and Poland signed common military declaration 41211151

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Defence & Security News - (Poland)
 
USA and Poland signed common military declaration
General Ben Hodges, Commander of the US Army in Europe, visited Poland to strengthen bilateral defence ties. During the meeting with the Polish Armed Forces Chief, General Miroslaw Rozanski, the two officials signed a declaration on bilateral cooperation, which includes plans for the deployment of forces and equipment at Polish military sites.
     
USA and Poland signed common military declaration
Gen. Ben Hodges (left) with Gen. Miroslaw Rozanski (right) during a visit at the Drawsko Pomorskie training ground in Poland, in September 2015. (Photo: US Embassy in Warsaw, Poland)
     

The United States will preposition around 1,200 vehicles of various types and other equipment in the Baltic countries, Romania, Bulgaria and Germany. They will be enough to arm a brigade in case that would be deemed necessary. But in order for the equipment to move freely, he envisaged a regional cooperation deal resembling that Schengen Agreement, so as to allow equipment to move easily, while respecting EU regulations.

The equipment will be stored in existing national military bases in these countries, as the US does not plan to build new bases. The US military personnel in these countries will be rotating. It will come from the US mainland or the US forces in Germany, Italy or other European countries.

General Ben Hodges provided a rough account of the vehicles that would arrive in these countries. Of the 1,200 vehicles, 240 are tanks, while the rest are IFV M2 Bradleys, M-109A6 self-propelled howitzers, engineering, maintenance, utility and other required platforms. Of the total, 600 units will be based in Poland.

The two-year declaration has also outlined the cooperation between the Polish Armed Forces and the US forces that will be deploying in Poland during these years. Unit and formation will be expected to cooperate in order to establish common procedures and operational capabilities. The partnership programme has a major milestone coming up next year. It is the “Anaconda 2016 Exercise”, which will be a major logistical test and capability demonstration, ahead of the NATO Summit in Warsaw.