“This is the direction we must go – the military, the presence of US forces in Poland, is a guarantee that permanent presence will be expanded to other segments. But as long as anti-Atlanticism in Poland is so strong – it must drop below 20, 15 percent, if not 10, for us to be able to shift Poland onto completely different developmental tracks, in line with our ambitions,” said Prof. Sławomir Cenckiewicz, head of the National Security Bureau, today in an interview with Michał Rachoń on TV Republika.
During a meeting with President Karol Nawrocki at the White House, US President Donald Trump was asked about the presence of American soldiers in Poland.
“We never even considered this from the perspective of removing troops from Poland. We think about it in terms of other countries, but in Poland we have been here the whole time… Perhaps we will increase our presence in Poland if the Poles want it. We are committed to Poland, we want to cooperate,” President Trump said.
During a conversation with the media, Karol Nawrocki emphasized that “we spoke with President Donald Trump and with the ministers about expanding the component of American soldiers in Poland, which gives me particular satisfaction.”
On the question of a permanent US military presence in Poland, Prof. Cenckiewicz told Michał Rachoń on TV Republika, “I can only confirm what Minister Przydacz and the president said. This issue was continued behind closed doors, and it was announced by President Trump in the Oval Office in the presence of journalists. I will say something obvious – the effort should largely be on our side. We want to achieve a situation in which Redzikowo and the corps command in Poznań – the actual elements of permanent presence – will be expanded to cover the entire, or even an enlarged, American military presence in Poland. What should this effort involve? We must develop – and this is happening – the infrastructure where American soldiers stay in Poland, so that they are not here only rotationally for 3-6 months, but stay longer. We have the example of Ramstein in Germany, which is de facto an American city, and that is what we should aim for. Let’s bring Ramstein to Poland – it is a good proposal, but the effort must primarily be on our side. It is up to us to ensure that the participation of allied, American forces in Poland is greater,” Cenckiewicz assessed.
Similar proposals appeared in a text by the head of the BBN published in the American edition of Newsweek. Prof. Cenckiewicz noted on TV Republika that a strengthened US presence in Poland is not only a military issue.
“Americans are interested in Polish-American companies, arms production. This looks quite promising in terms of the talks that [Deputy] Minister [Paweł] Bejda is conducting with the Americans; they are essentially a continuation of what Minister Mariusz Błaszczak was doing. For us, this is a matter of security and vital national interests. This is the direction we must go – the military, the presence of US forces in Poland, is a guarantee that permanent presence will be expanded to other segments. But as long as anti-Atlanticism in Poland is so strong – it must drop below 20, 15 percent, if not 10, for us to be able to shift Poland onto completely different developmental tracks, in line with our ambitions. Only then will the windows that appear in global politics, such as the current 3.5-year Trump presidency, be effectively utilized by us,” the head of the BBN assessed.