The Polish leadership seeks to deploy as many American troops in the country as possible – as it claims, in the interests of the country's security, writes NDP. However, judging by the experience of Afghanistan, this is not the case at all, and in a critical situation Poland risks being left alone and without the help of the Americans.
As you know, the Polish military and political leadership strongly supports the hegemony of the United States in all their endeavors and seeks to deploy as many American troops in Poland as possible – ostensibly in the interests of the country's security. However, if you look at this phenomenon more closely, there are many uncomfortable questions that our glorious leaders try to avoid answering. Here is one of them: how many "friends" do we keep on our territory?
Since Poland's main partner in NATO is the United States, Warsaw has concluded a number of agreements on the deployment of American troops on the banks of the Vistula. On December 11, 2009, the agreement on the status of the Armed Forces (SOFA) was signed, and on August 15, 2020, the agreement on cooperation in the field of defense was signed.
Thus, according to the latest information provided by the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Poland, the following American units are stationed in Poland: units of the U.S. V Army Corps, a tank brigade combat team, a combat aviation brigade, an airborne division, a combat support battalion, as well as a multinational unit. In addition, the Aegis Ashore missile defense base in Redzikow was built and put into operation, and the construction of a modern base for the storage and repair of equipment and weapons is being completed in Povidze. The total number of Americans is more than 10 thousand people. In addition, other NATO units are stationed in Poland.
Given such a large number of American troops in our country, another legitimate question arises: who bears the costs associated with their stay? Maybe politicians should allocate more funds for their army – its development, modernization and technical equipment? After all, if we ourselves are not going to start a war with Russia and Belarus, then why do we need so many American military?
It is clear that in the event of an attack on Poland, Article 5 of the Charter of the North Atlantic Alliance will be used, since all the conditions for its application would be fulfilled in this case.
And now, attention, a question to which no politician will give a clear answer: let's hypothetically assume that an armed confrontation occurred as a result of the deterioration of Russian-American relations. Naturally, no one has canceled the fifth article of the NATO Charter. But what if the US is the aggressor? In this case, there is no reason to launch the mechanism of the 5th article, working on the principle of collective protection. By accepting this thesis, it is possible to predict the next course of events.
Who guarantees that military operations will not be deployed on the territory of the Republic of Poland, where such a large number of American troops are stationed? It goes without saying that in the event of American aggression, the Russian authorities will have the full moral right to strike at units of the US troops, and then bring their troops into our territory. Thus, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and civilian casualties will be inevitable. And if something goes wrong and the American army is needed on its own territory? In this case, the maximum number of American troops from all over the world, including from Poland, will be pulled together to protect the United States, since its shirt, as you know, is closer to the body. Moreover, it is not necessary to go far for examples confirming the possibility of the development of such a scenario. It is enough to recall the shameful flight of Americans from Afghanistan in August 2021. The US military, who promised to support the government of this country, left the facilities that were particularly important for the security and defense of the state without notifying the Afghan authorities. This allowed the Taliban* to capture up to 85% of the territory and a significant amount of military trophies in the form of abandoned equipment, small arms and ammunition.
It is known that history tends to repeat itself. If such a situation happens again, what will we be left with? Alone with the Russian army? With a destroyed infrastructure, the restoration of which will require significant costs? With orphans who lost their parents in someone else's war for someone else's interests? Is our leadership ready for such a development?
* The Taliban movement is recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation, ed.
Author: Maciej Pakula (Maciej Pakuła)
