Kathrine Frich
Discussions with the Pentagon are actively moving forward right now.
National security usually comes with a massive price tag for any government.
Alliances often require complicated trade-offs and years of slow, grinding diplomacy.
One European nation has decided to skip the usual lengthy negotiations and simply open its chequebook to secure a powerful military ally.
Opening the wallet
Warsaw desperately wants American troops on its soil permanently. To make the historic deal happen, the Polish government has offered a highly unusual financial package directly to Washington.
The country is completely ready to pay 15,000 dollars a year for every single United States service member deployed within its borders. Officials have also promised to cover all the necessary building costs to house them properly.
Polish Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Zalewski recently outlined the generous financial terms in public. He shared the exact details during a broadcast interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty cited by Militarnyi.
Special conditions
“We are offering very special conditions for American troops. We will cover the costs of infrastructure. We are also covering the cost of each American soldier stationing in Poland by $15,000 per year,” the deputy minister explained to the outlet.
Discussions with the Pentagon are actively moving forward right now. The two sides are currently trying to figure out exactly how many soldiers will cross the Atlantic and what specific combat skills they will bring with them.
“We are discussing with the Pentagon different variations of the execution of the decision,” Zalewski added in his radio interview.
He deliberately kept quiet about exactly which military units might eventually pack their bags. The final base locations also remain a closely guarded secret while negotiations continue behind closed doors.
Scouring for locations
The push for a permanent American military footprint gathered serious momentum over the summer months. Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz formally submitted the base proposal to Pentagon leadership in early June.
The White House has clearly welcomed the massive financial offer. United States President Donald Trump announced in mid-September that the two allied nations had made significant progress in their ongoing military talks.
American military inspectors have already travelled across Europe to check out potential real estate. They are currently looking closely at two main areas, specifically Poznań and Powidz, to potentially host the future base.
