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Defence & Security News - Poland
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| Poland will increase Army size by half | |||
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Poland will increase the size of its Army by half within the next few years, according to a statement by the Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz. Poland has increased its defence budget and capabilities since the start of the Crimean crisis, and called NATO on many occasions to increase its presence at its eastern borders.
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 The Polish Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz during the NFIU-Poland inauguration ceremony (Photo: Polish MoD) |
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The Defence Minister’s statement was made during his speech at the ceremony inaugurating the NATO Force Integration Unit (NFIU) at the Polish city of Bydgoszcz. NFIUs mission is to coordinate planning and exercises between the hosting nation and NATO in peacetime, and prepare the ground for deployment of allied forces during operations. Five more NFIUs have been established in the region, namely in Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The increase in the Army’s size will include the establishment of three new brigades at the borders adjacent to Russia. The new formations, which will have a territorial orientation, are expected to be ready in early 2017. Two of the brigades will be stationed at the area close to the borders with Russia and the third at the borders with Ukraine. In addition, the Polish Ministry of Defence plans to setup other types of operational brigades on a service-wide basis. |
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