Poland eyes US defence partnerships backed by new EU security loans

Poland is pursuing expanded cooperation with American defence contractors, including joint ventures and major weapons purchases, using newly approved European Union security loans, a senior Polish official said this week.

Konrad Gołota, Poland’s deputy state assets minister, outlined Warsaw’s plans as the country accelerates its military buildup in response to Russia’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine. Poland has already embarked on a sweeping modernisation effort, acquiring US-made fighter jets, tanks, helicopters, rocket launchers and missiles, Defense News writes. 

“We are modernizing our Army. We are building now the biggest EU land Army, focusing on the protection of external borders, focusing very much on securing the Baltic Sea region,” Gołota said during a December 5 event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

To support its rapid expansion, Poland intends to draw from approximately €44 billion in low-interest loans allocated under the European Union’s new Security Action For Europe (SAFE) scheme. The funds will help supplement a defence budget that is set to reach 4.7% of GDP next year—about $55 billion, according to Gołota.

The deputy minister said the government wants US defence firms to play a central role in the acquisitions financed through SAFE loans. But Warsaw is also pushing to move beyond traditional purchasing arrangements by using European financing to support joint ventures and technology transfers to the Polish defence sector.

“We are using a lot of American equipment,” Gołota said. “We have spent over the years in signed contracts $60 billion in the U.S. … only in defence. So it’s a substantial expenditure. We think that the perfect matching is … when your companies, which are already cooperating with our companies, will take it one or two levels higher.”

US manufacturers will ultimately need to determine what technologies they are willing to transfer, he added.

“U.S. defence industry players need to decide which technologies they are able to transfer, and, of course, we are in dialog with the [U.S.] administration,” Gołota said.

By Sabina Mammadli