Norbert Neumann (Tarnoczi)’s Post

Latest: Poland's military modernisation agenda has continued with the approval of multibillion-dollar missile agreements as the country attempts to demonstrate its commitment to defence amid regional tensions. Warsaw has remained steadfast in its military procurement spree which has shown no sign of slowing down. In the latest update, the US has authorised three separate FMS missile agreements for Poland, amounting to more than US$3.5 billion. One of the request Poland sent to the US included the purchase of up to 821 AGM-158B-2 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles with Extended Range (JASSM-ER) All-Up-Rounds. When compared to the base JASSM, the ER increment has a more fuel-efficient engine, greater fuel capacity and adds 2.5 times the standoff range at greater than 500nm (926km). To put this into context, the distance between Warsaw and Belarus' capital Minsk is about 550km, while Kaliningrad is about 380km from Warsaw. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Poland has significantly ramped up its defence spending. Other major procurement deals included armed Black Hawk and Apache attack helicopters, long-range air defence systems, HIMARS for $10 billion and various land platforms.