The United States has offered Poland 250 used Stryker armored vehicles for just $1. A decision could come next year, provided Poland’s security situation does not dramatically deteriorate.
Warsaw is preparing to accept the deal once logistics are worked out, Breaking Defense reports, citing Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
Under the proposal, Strykers currently in Europe would be handed over to Poland rather than shipped back to the US as the American troop presence on the continent is reduced.
“After a preliminary review, we agreed the military will inspect their technical condition and assess their suitability for our armed forces — whether this equipment is fit for training, operational operations, or whether we truly need such hardware…” Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
Despite the bargain price, analysts warn the move could be a pig in a poke: the US vehicles — not previously used by Poland — will require repairs, upgrades and the build-out of support and training infrastructure.
Repairs could prove costly, and outsourcing the work to foreign firms would drive expenses even higher.
Another concern is the impact on the domestic defense industry, as the government prioritizes local production in its arms procurement agreements.
Strykers would compete with the army’s stated needs for Rosomak infantry fighting vehicles and potential future armored personnel carriers, limiting demand for domestic orders. The army currently fields more than 900 Rosomak IFVs produced domestically in a modified version with the ZSSW-30 turret.
Responding to those concerns, Kosiniak-Kamysz argued that the more weapons Poland has, the better — and that Polish troops’ experience operating foreign-made equipment would be an added bonus.
According to the outlet, Poland’s Land Forces are currently facing a significant shortage of modern armored vehicles.
Gen. Wiesław Kukuła, chief of the General Staff, said a decision on the US offer should come in the second half of next year, if the security situation does not markedly worsen.
Earlier this spring, the Pentagon began internal discussions about withdrawing up to half of the 20,000 US troops surged to Poland, Romania and other countries in the region. The Biden administration deployed those forces to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
According to The Washington Post, citing US European Command, there are between 75,000 and 105,000 US service members in Europe, 63,000 of them permanently stationed.
