United States European Command (EUCOM) spokesperson Captain Adam Miller said that the United States will send two Patriot missile defence batteries to Poland to thwart threats to NATO allies.
The MIM-104 Patriot air and missile defence system is an anti-aircraft system. It is primarily designed to engage ballistic and cruise missiles, loitering munitions, and aircraft, according to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies’ (CSIS) Missile Threat website.
“At the direction of the Secretary of Defence and at the invitation of our Polish allies, General Wolters, Commander of US European Command, has directed US Army Europe and Africa to reposition two Patriot Batteries to Poland. This defensive deployment is being conducted proactively to counter any potential threat to US and Allied forces and NATO territory,” Miller said in a statement accessed by Anadolu News Agency.
He said that the step is defensive in nature and is taken to deter aggression towards NATO and its allies.
The Russian military operation in Ukraine which has led to widespread destruction of Ukrainian cities and resulted in a refugee crisis ousting 2 million Ukrainians from their homeland also led to fears among Poland and Baltic states who share borders with Ukraine and Russia.
The move by the US comes after it rejected Poland’s request to move 29 MiG-29 fighter jets to a US-base in Germany to help defend Ukraine. Polish foreign minister Zbigniew Rau surprised the Biden administration when it said that it will transfer the jets to Ramstein air base in Germany. “Poland is ready to deploy – immediately and free of charge – all their MiG-29 jets to the Ramstein air base and place them at the disposal of the government of the United States of America,” Rau was quoted as saying by news agency the Guardian.
The US department of defence and Pentagon said it was untenable. “We will continue to consult with Poland and our other Nato allies about this issue and the difficult logistical challenges it presents, but we do not believe Poland’s proposal is a tenable one,” John Kirby, the Pentagon’s press secretary said. Earlier, the UK defence secretary also warned that Poland sending its jets would put it in harm’s way. According to NATO’s Article 5, “if a NATO Ally is the victim of an armed attack, each and every other member of the Alliance will consider this act of violence as an armed attack against all members and will take the actions it deems necessary to assist the Ally attacked.”
Going by that principle, the US and the UK are wary that if Poland decides to send jets it may be attacked thus bringing NATO and Russia together in an armed conflict while also drawing the US into the war in Ukraine.
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