Posted on 03/28/2018 1:35:52 PM PDT by GoldenState_Rose
Poland signed the largest arms procurement deal in its history on Wednesday, agreeing with the United States to buy Raytheon Cos (RTN.N) Patriot missile defense system for $4.75 billion in a major step to modernize its forces against a bolder Russia.
It is an extraordinary, historic moment; it is Polands introduction into a whole new world of state-of-the-art technology, modern weaponry, and defensive means, President Andrzej Duda said during the signing ceremony.
NATO member Poland has accelerated efforts to overhaul its ageing weaponry following Moscows annexation of Ukraines Crimea peninsula in 2014. Two-thirds of Polands weaponry dates from the Cold War era when it was in the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the Patriot agreement showed solidarity and cooperation with the United States and other NATO countries.
Air defenses are particularly important for Poland and neighboring Baltic states Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
NATO planners say Russia is using its Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad as well as Crimea to pursue the capability to block off NATOs air access to the Baltic states, about a third of Poland and to the Black Sea.
Raytheons Kremer said the current threat environment had increased demand for missile defense systems and the Donald Trump administration was working to accelerate sales to allies.
In general, theyre more open to expediting and getting these deals worked, Kremer said.
We are getting to the front row of countries which will be able not only to cooperate and jointly carry out tasks with the United States and NATO, but will be also perceived on (NATOs) eastern flank as ... stronger than others, General Leszek Surawski, the Polish militarys chief of staff, said after the signing ceremony.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Wait, does this mean Trump isn’t friends with Russia anymore? LOL. This is going to make millions of Democrats angry. They will say Trump betrayed Russia, Blah Blah Blah, and make fools of themselves
Excellent. Trump needs to tour Eastern Europe where our real European friends are.
Winning!
Oh, no -- another blow to the Obama 'legacy'?!? Thanks GoldenState_Rose.
What a stupid interruption we had - Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obama.
Sorta like being forced off the road for the better part of 28 years.
Just so. We betrayed Poland after Reagan freed them, and now finally Trump is keeping the old promise to our faithful ally.
Because you have been reading my post for over the last year or more how this is a return to 1988? ;-)
Seriously it is a Return to Reagan and undoing the fubar's of Bush the elder-Clinton-Bush-And he who shall not be named.
He may even undo Carter's Iranian Fubar which would be amazing!
Thanks, Reuters! I guess Russia won't have a problem with Poland and the rest of the former Eastern Bloc getting a missile defense system then!
Good to see that Poland has learned from its past mistakes in trusting its safety to western Europe.
Wygrywanie!
Liberals hate Poland.
No, just having his name in the same sentence as Russia proves there was collusion to the Libs. It doesn’t matter that they are pointed towards Russia.
HOWEVER, note that America (to be specific FDR) also betrayed Poland in 1943 at yalta when Poland was handed over to the USSR.
But that is the past. Poland's target now is three-fold:
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