Polish Military Aviation Works No. 2 has begun servicing multi-role F-16 jets of U.S. Air Forces in Europe.
On Monday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki visited the facility located in Bydgoszcz, northern Poland, which has started servicing F-16s under an agreement with a U.S. company AAR Government Services as one of the only plants in the world able to repair and service the aircraft.
Morawiecki said that it is a responsibility of the government to strengthen the armed forces until it can prevent a war from starting. “Strengthening our defense plants increases our defense,” he said.
“Today, I had the pleasure to see and find out how strong Polish cooperation with the U.S. armed forces is,” stated Morawiecki. He explained that aircraft used by different countries would be serviced in Bydgoszcz.
The Polish prime minister also mentioned current threats related to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
“Some believe that relations with Russia can be civilized through trade exchange. Today we know very well that the tyrant, despot, and the bully, will not change and will look for opportunities to dominate others,” said Morawiecki.
He added that the Russian economic growth model is worse than the free market system, which is why Russia is trying to dominate others using their military power. According to Morawiecki, all neighbors of Russia, such as Japan and South Korea, but also Central Asian countries like Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan now realize this threat, not just the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
Morawiecki stressed the importance of the defense of Ukraine and stated that his Law and Justice (PiS) government realized “long ago” that Poland’s defense had to be bolstered if it didn’t want “Putin and his thugs to dictate terms in Central Europe.”
The head of the Polish government announced the country will be in the top three NATO members when it comes to the share of the GDP dedicated to defense spending.
“If we dedicate up to 4 percent of GDP to it, we will spend the same share of GDP spent by countries such as the United States. It is extremely important, as it emphasizes our role and credibility as an ally,” said Morawiecki.
He added that “there is no strong country without a strong military, and building a strong military requires a strong country.”
“Today, we know very well that modern combat assets can compensate the disparity between the army sizes, as we can see today between Russia and Ukraine. We are procuring such assets from the U.S., South Korea, Great Britain, and other allies,” said Morawiecki.
He stressed that Poland is becoming increasingly safe, and is one of the “key members of NATO.”
This is an important development, said Morawiecki, as Poland has a “simple choice: fall victim to Russian domination or build its defense capabilities fast” and he assured that this will happen, thanks to cooperation with the U.S., Great Britain and other NATO countries.
“This will strengthen our sovereignty,” he added. “We must defend it, and we will. There is no other choice.”
