Captain Adam Miller of the US European Command (EUCOM) stated that the US will send two Patriot missile defence batteries to Poland to counter threats to NATO allies.
The Patriot air and missile defence system (MIM-104 Patriot) is an anti-aircraft system. According to the Missile Threat website of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), it is primarily designed to combat ballistic and cruise missiles, loitering weapons, and aircraft.
“General Wolters, Commander of US European Command, has instructed US Army Europe and Africa to redeploy two Patriot Batteries to Poland at the request of the Secretary of Defense and at the invitation of our Polish allies.
This defensive deployment is being carried out ahead of time to protect US and allied forces as well as NATO territory “Anadolu News Agency obtained a statement from Miller.
He explained that the move is defensive in nature, and that it is being done to dissuade attack against NATO friends and allies.
The Russian military campaign in Ukraine, which has resulted in massive destruction of Ukrainian cities and a refugee crisis that has displaced 2 million Ukrainians, has caused concern in Poland and the Baltic nations. who share borders with Ukraine and Russia.
The action comes after the US turned down Poland’s request to send 29 MiG-29 fighter jets to a US base in Germany to assist in the defence of Ukraine. When Poland’s foreign minister, Zbigniew Rau, announced that the planes would be transferred to Germany’s Ramstein air station, the Biden administration was taken aback.
“Poland is ready to deploy – instantly and free of charge – all of its MiG-29 planes to the Ramstein air base and lay them at the disposal of the US administration,” said Rau, according to the Guardian news agency.
It was deemed unsustainable by the US Department of Defense and the Pentagon. “We will continue to work with Poland and our other Nato friends about this issue and the tremendous logistical challenges it poses,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said.
Earlier, the UK military secretary warned Poland that sending its fighter jets would put it in jeopardy. “If a NATO Ally is the victim of an armed attack, each and every other member of the Alliance will regard this act of violence as an armed attack against all members and will take whatever actions it deems appropriate to support the Ally attacked,” according to NATO’s Article 5.
According to this premise, the US and the UK are concerned that if Poland decides to send fighter jets, it would be attacked, leading NATO and Russia into an armed conflict and dragging the US into the Ukraine conflict.