Latest news with #Kosiniak-Kamysz
Euronews
3 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Polish army to mark 1920 military victory with large Warsaw parade
A large military parade will take place in Warsaw on Friday to commemorate Poland's victory there against the Red Army in 1920. The celebrations will be attended by nearly 4,000 Polish soldiers as well as almost 200 army representatives from allied countries including the US and the UK. The events to mark Polish Army Day will include a wreath-laying ceremony led by Poland's President Karol Nawrocki and his wife Marta. For the first time, a naval parade in the Baltic Sea will also be held, with 20 ships as well as hydrographic and rescue vessels appearing in the waters around Hel. Great show of force in Warsaw and on the Baltic The main highlight of the celebrations, however, will be the military parade on Warsaw's Wisłostrada, which will begin at midday. "We will be showing the most modern equipment at the disposal of the Polish Armed Forces," spokesperson for the General Staff of the Polish Army Colonel Joanna Klejszmit told Euronews. Tanks as well as lighter vehicles will be used in the procession, she added. F-16 aircraft and AH-64 Apache helicopters will also be on display, as will Himars rocket launchers, according to Poland's defence ministry. The airshow will feature the Australian Army's E-7A Wedgetail early-warning aircraft. "We will be joined for the first time ever by soldiers from Australia. They are stationed in Poland with their early reconnaissance aircraft, so there will really be something to see," said Colonel Klejszmit. During the dress rehearsal, Deputy Prime Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasised the special role of France, recalling that the support of French commanders was crucial to the Polish victory at the Battle of Warsaw. "This is special, because the Battle of Warsaw also with the participation of French troops, the support of French generals, commanders, could have been victorious, so we will thank our allies as well," Kosiniak-Kamysz explained. The two events — the parade and the naval parade — will start at the same time and will be broadcast live. In an interview with Euronews, Lieutenant Colonel Michał Tomczyk said interest in the military is growing year on year, especially given the current security concerns in Europe over Russia's all-out war in Ukraine. He noted that 15 August is the time when many people express their desire to join the army. "In fact, every garrison in Poland organises its Polish Army Day. There, there will be an opportunity to talk to military personnel and ask about recruitment or particular training courses," he said. On Saturday, the celebrations will continue with the ceremonial opening of the Museum of the Battle of Warsaw 1920 in Ossów. Poland currently spends over 4% of its GDP on defence and, with 216,100 military personnel, has the third largest army in NATO.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Poland's F-16s Are About To Become Much More Potent
The Polish Ministry of Defense has signed a $3.8 billion contract to upgrade the country's 48 F-16C/D Block 52+ Viper fighters to the F-16V configuration. Poland's Block 52+ jets are already some of the most advanced F-16s in Europe. This is the latest example of a staggering Polish defense spending spree that has now been going on for years, as the country works to modernize its entire armed forces, with a particular eye toward meeting threats from Russia. Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, Poland's Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, announced the signing of the F-16 upgrade deal today. The state-run Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze No. 2 S.A. (Military Aviation Works No. 2), which has a formal relationship with the manufacturer of the jets, Lockheed Martin, will perform the upgrade work. 'Over 20 years ago, our predecessors made the choice of aircraft to replace the post-Soviet equipment in the Polish Air Force. We chose the F-16, and it was a very good decision – a proven aircraft, a platform capable of extraordinary combat operations,' Kosiniak-Kamysz said, according to a machine translation of a Polish-language statement put out today. 'The current capabilities of the F-16 C/D version are good, but after 20 years, they are insufficient to address the threats. We need to improve reconnaissance capabilities, communications, integration with the F-35 … as well as the ability to operate in any domain.' Poland is in the process of acquiring a fleet of 32 F-35A Joint Strike Fighters. The goal is for that force to reach full operational capability by the end of the decade. Lockheed Martin rolled out the first of the jets, which will be named Husarz (Hussar) in Polish service, last year. Polish pilots also began training on the F-35A in the United States in January. 'The modernization will cover not only the aircraft themselves but also radar, communications, friend-or-foe reconnaissance systems, ground infrastructure, simulators, and trainers,' Poland's Kosiniak-Kamysz said today, but did not provide further specifics. The U.S. government had approved the potential sale of items and services required for what was referred to as a 'Viper Midlife Upgrade' back in October 2024. At that time, the value of the total package was estimated to be around $7.3 billion, nearly twice as much as the stated price tag on the deal announced today. It is very possible that the contract with Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze No. 2 S.A. is just one part of what will be required to complete the upgrade program. From what was outlined last year, the upgrades for Poland's F-16s are set to most prominently include Northrop Grumman's AN/APG-83 active Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR). This active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar is the centerpiece of the F-16V configuration and is also now a standard feature on new-production Block 70/72 Vipers. SABR offers important benefits compared to the mechanically-scanned AN/APG-68 radars found on Poland's Vipers now. This includes being able to scan far faster, acquiring more targets and at longer ranges, as well as the ability to produce more precise and higher fidelity tracks, even when it comes to smaller and stealthier objects. The radar is also far more reliable than its predecessor and more resistant to electronic countermeasures. AESAs, in general, have secondary electronic warfare and communications potential, as well. Polish Vipers are also in line to get new modular, open-architecture mission computers, as well as upgrades to their communications and navigation capabilities. New AN/APX-126/127 Advanced Identification Friend or Foe (AIFF) combined interrogator/transponders were listed in the Pentagon's press release about the Viper Midlife Upgrade. A new electronic warfare package will also go into Poland's modernized F-16s, though what type is not yet clear. The door was left open last year to either L3Harris' AN/ALQ-254(V)1 Viper Shield or Northrop Grumman's AN/ALQ-257 Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite (IVEWS). In September 2024, Breaking Defense reported that the two companies were hotly competing for a Polish contract. As Lockheed Martin has laid it out in the past, the F-16V upgrade package also includes improved datalinks and cockpit displays. Improved inoperability with the F-35 was also an important factor in the development of the V configuration. Poland's Block 52+ jets already feature conformal fuel tanks, and the country's two-seat D variants have enlarged dorsal spines, which can accommodate additional avionics, communications systems, countermeasures, and more. The Polish Ministry of Defense says the F-16 upgrade program will begin in earnest in 2028 and run through 2038. 'For 20 years, F-16s have protected Polish skies, participated in foreign missions, including air policing over the Baltic states, and were sent wherever our allies needed them,' Poland's Kosiniak-Kamysz noted in his statement today. Poland became a member of NATO in 1999. The aerial threat picture facing Poland has substantially evolved in recent years in light of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Polish authorities are acutely aware of the risk of spillover, including from stray missiles and drones. In 2022, two civilians in Poland were killed by falling debris as Ukrainian forces worked to intercept incoming Russian threats. Polish airspace has been violated on other occasions since then. For Poland, there is also the matter of simmering geopolitical friction with Russian ally Belarus. Tensions along the Polish-Belarusian border have flared multiple times in recent years. Amid all of this, Poland has steadily pushed to take a greater role in NATO. This includes moves to join the alliance's nuclear sharing agreements, through which select members are prepared to employ U.S. B61-series nuclear gravity bombs, if authorized. As noted, the F-16 upgrade plan is just one part of a larger Polish modernization effort across its entire military. In recent years, the country has signed billions of dollars' worth of contracts for other combat jets (including the F-35s and FA-50 light fighters from South Korea) and a massive buy of AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, as well as new main battle tanks, short-range ballistic missiles, and self-propelled artillery. On the air defense front, Poland is also planning to field a network of balloon-based early-warning sensors. Poland's Kosiniak-Kamysz also touted the benefits that the F-16 modernization work, specifically, will bring to the country's domestic defense industry, which has also been steadily expanding in recent years. 'This is a major investment, carried out with the state's finances in mind and thanks to taxpayers,' he said. 'Our goal is for Poland to be among the top three NATO countries in terms of operational capabilities. This modernization is a step in that direction.' Overall, Poland's F-16 upgrade program represents a major commitment by the country to continue operating the Viper for the foreseeable future, even as its stealthy F-35 fleet comes online. Contact the author: joe@ Solve the daily Crossword
Korea Herald
01-08-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Poland signs $6.5 billion deal to purchase 2nd batch of K2 tanks
Poland on Friday signed a deal worth about US$6.5 billion to purchase the second batch of K2 tanks from major South Korean defense contractor Hyundai Rotem Co., Seoul's defense ministry said. The deal marks the largest-ever arms export contract won by a South Korean company and the first major one since the launch of the Lee Jae Myung administration in June. Under the deal, Poland will be supplied with 180 K2 tanks and 81 other support vehicles. It follows up on a contract Poland signed in 2022 for the first batch of 180 K2 tanks amid a major armament push after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While the ministry did not specify the exact terms of the latest deal, 117 of the 180 tanks will reportedly be built by Hyundai Rotem, while the rest will be produced by Poland's state-owned defense company PGZ. The ministry said the latest contract includes production of a Polish variant of the K2 and development of other armored support vehicles, while opening the possibility of joint production and exports. South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and his Polish counterpart, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, attended the signing ceremony between Hyundai Rotem and Poland's armament agency in Gliwice in southern Poland. "Through the signing of the second K2 executive contract, (we) have created an opportunity to solidify our strategic partnership beyond a simple relationship between a supplier and a user," Ahn was quoted as saying at the ceremony. Before the ceremony, Ahn held talks with Kosiniak-Kamysz to discuss ways to deepen their countries' cooperation in the arms industry. Ahn pledged support and training for Poland's use of Korean weapons systems, including the K2 and K9 self-propelled howitzers, and also proposed cooperation in Warsaw's other defense projects, including its plan to acquire submarines. Ahn also invited his Polish counterpart to Seoul, to which Kosiniak-Kamysz replied he would make the visit at an early date, according to the ministry.
Euractiv
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Euractiv
Polish minister says join police, not vigilantes
Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz on Tuesday called on those who wish to "defend Poland's borders" to join official services amid escalating border tensions and a rising number of self-organized vigilante patrols. 'There are 1,500 vacancies in the Border Guard,' he said during a speech in the Sejm, Poland's lower chamber. 'Everyone who wants to serve Poland, everyone who wants to protect our borders, is welcome - whether in the Border Guard, the Territorial Defence Forces, or the Police.' The minister's comments come at a time of mounting tensions along Poland's western frontier with Germany. Polish authorities accuse Berlin of pushing migrants back into Poland, with far-right groups mobilizing around the issue on the ground to 'defend the border'. These include Straż Narodowa (National Guard), Patrioci Przeciwko Islamizacji Europy (Patriots Against the Islamisation of Europe), and the recently formed Ruch Obrony Granic (Border Defence Movement), which presents itself as a grassroots initiative but is linked to nationalist and ultra-conservative networks. These groups have organized citizen patrols along the German border and claim to be filling a void left by the state – though critics warn of vigilantism and potential human rights abuses. While Kosiniak-Kamysz highlighted a drop in illegal crossings from Belarus – down to 800 in 2025 from 12,000 in 2023 – he flagged a shift in migration routes toward Latvia and Lithuania through Belarus. The minister noted a 25% drop in visas issued under the current government and described new border policies as part of a broader 'philosophy of border protection'.
Euractiv
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Euractiv
Poland rejects joint border patrols with Germany
WARSAW – Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (PSL, EPP) has rebuked Germany's idea of conducting joint border checks. Poland recently introduced controls on its borders with Germany and Lithuania as a reaction to an inflow of irregular arrivals from Lithuania and to reports that German was sending illegal migrants to Poland. In response, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU, EPP) proposed that Warsaw and Berlin implement joint border controls. But that drew the ire of the head of Poland's Ministry of National Defence. 'No, no! There will be no joint patrols,' Kosiniak-Kamysz told TVN24. 'On the German side, there are German patrols; on the Polish side, there will be Polish ones. The minister from Germany will not tell us what to do in Poland. With sympathy, with respect, but we will protect Polish borders [ourselves].' Meanwhile, under the umbrella of the 'Border Defence Movement' – newly-established by far-right activist Robert Bąkiewicz – so-called 'citizen patrols' have been organised on Poland's western borders in recent days. According to the organisation, these patrols aim to hinder illegal migration. In response, Kosiniak-Kamysz stated on TVN24 that Polish borders are protected by Polish services, and there is no need for any paramilitary formations in those areas. He added that impersonating officers is a violation of the law and should be punished. The 'citizen checks' also met with condemnation from security experts. "If someone wants to protect the border, we invite them to join the Border Guard," Kosiniak-Kamysz said, emphasising that "Germany has withdrawn from its long-standing practice of admitting migrants into its territory'.
