FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
If this project is completed within the deadline, Poland will become the largest military power in Eastern Europe...
$4.2 billion to gain just two hours of time. That's the price of the "East Shield," the "eastern shield" that Poland began building in 2024 and is expected to be completed in 2028. An 800-kilometer-long fortification line that draws a giant "L" between the border with Belarus and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. The goal is not to stop a possible Russian army, something that even Warsaw itself does not believe, but to slow it down, long enough for the Polish army to mobilize and NATO forces to arrive, starting with the 10,000 American soldiers already stationed in the territory.
Alarm after Russian drones
The latest attack by Russian drones, on the night of September 9-10, forced the Polish authorities to accelerate the project. Although the joint air defense (with the Netherlands and Italy) reacted, its performance showed serious difficulties. What would happen in the event of a massive Russian air attack? This question has become a priority for Polish generals.
Poland's defense industry has made giant strides. The company WB Electronics now produces over 1,000 drones a month, while Russia is reportedly producing up to 5,100. Donald Tusk's government has signaled that the 2026 budget will be heavily geared towards drones, the weapon that has changed the balance of the war in Ukraine. Military spending will increase from 4.5% to 4.8% of GDP, making Poland the country with the largest defense investment (as a percentage of GDP) within NATO.
A new army for a new era
Poland has already secured 43.7 billion euros from the European Commission's rearmament fund. The plan is clear:
205 thousand active soldiers, which by 2035 is expected to reach 300 thousand, plus 300 thousand reservists.
Two new divisions armed with American Abrams tanks, replacing Soviet-era equipment.
96 Apache helicopters (up from 16 currently) and 128 fighter jets, including American F-35s and F-16s and South Korean FA-50s.
NATO generals consider this the biggest transformation of the Polish military since World War II.
Fear of the Baltics
Security is not limited to land borders. The Baltic Sea is a hot spot: Danzig shares a coast with the Russian Kaliningrad. Poland has launched the Miecznik program, in cooperation with Great Britain, to equip the navy with three modern frigates, while it is considering purchasing a flotilla of submarines from France, Germany, Sweden or South Korea. The aim is to close any security holes, whether on land, in the air or at sea.
Message for the region and NATO
If this project is completed within the deadline, Poland will become the largest military power in Eastern Europe, a factor that will also change the balance in the Balkans and the Black Sea. For NATO, Warsaw has become the "eastern gate", while for Moscow, a strategic target. /Adapted from "Pamphlet" by "Corriere Della Sera"
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