U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said his country would always stand with Poland as the country's defence minister signed an agreement confirming delivery of a new rocket artillery system on Wednesday.
Pence told an assembly of U.S. and Polish soldiers at an airbase in Warsaw the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers would help protect central and eastern Europe from attack for decades to come.
Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak signed a document confirming the delivery of 20 HIMARS launchers, the sale of which was approved in November 2018 and which are expected to be delivered in 2023.
Poland's armed forces have suffered from decades of under-investment and some two-thirds of their equipment dates from the Soviet era.
The country has long vowed to increase defence spending, in part to deter what it sees as Russian aggression in the region, and wants to increase the presence of American troops on its territory.
In a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in September, Poland's President Andrzej Duda said Warsaw was ready to invest $2 billion to facilitate the development of a permanent base.
Pence was in the Polish capital to participate in a U.S.-sponsored Middle East conference.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English, Reuters