23-04-2025
Poland Doubled Its Defense Budget. Much of the Cash Went Abroad
Earlier this year, Poland's minister of national defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz spoke with his Swedish counterpart Pal Jonson, and the conversation turned to procurement. The Swedes were aware that they sold a lot to Poland, from ships to planes to anti-tank missiles, Kosiniak-Kamysz recalled. They wanted to know what they could buy in return.
'Our flagship product that could be sold is Piorun,' Kosiniak-Kamysz said, referring to a portable anti-aircraft missile launcher, manufactured by Mesko, a subsidiary of the state-owned defense conglomerate Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa, or PGZ. But Poland simply doesn't make enough; the single production line making the weapons is at full capacity. 'There is a waiting list for this from many places in Europe,' the minister told Bloomberg.
