Warsaw: The United States has offered to sell Poland 250 used Stryker vehicles for a single ceremonial dollar, and Warsaw is preparing to accept that deal as soon as the logistics can be worked out, according to Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
Kosiniak-Kamysz, speaking to media, said that under the proposed plan, Strykers currently in Europe would be transferred to Poland rather than shipped back to the US following a force reduction on the continent. According to Polish Radio, the general staff of the Polish Armed Forces has endorsed accepting the deal, a key hurdle for any such plan.
“After a preliminary analysis, we agreed that the military will check their technical condition and assess their suitability for our armed forces — is this good material for training, operational operations, or do we need this type of equipment … ” Kosiniak-Kamysz explained. “I’m open to a positive recommendation regarding the usefulness of this equipment.”
There are some obvious hurdles, at least on paper, to such a deal. For one, the depleted Strykers will require repairs, modernisation, and the preparation of their entire support base and training system, as the vehicles have not been used by Poland before. This could be a costly and time-consuming solution, while outsourcing this work to foreign companies could further increase costs.
Secondly, there could be an industrial impact, at a time when the Polish government has prioritised domestic production with its weapons agreements. Presumably, the Strykers will fill a spot in the Polish army’s requirements that have been earmarked for the Rosomak IFVs and potential future carriers, limiting the need for domestic orders. The army currently has more than 900 Rosomak IFVs which are now produced in-country as a modified version with the ZSSW-30 turret. To date, 35 of those vehicles have been delivered to the 21st Podhale Rifles Brigade.
However, Kosiniak-Kamysz made a simple argument: The more weapons the Polish military has, the better, and the price is certainly right. He also noted that by learning to operate various types of equipment, Polish soldiers are preparing for cooperation with allied forces, several of which use the Strykers.
Poland’s land forces currently suffer from a serious shortage of modern armoured vehicles. The BWP-1 Soviet amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicles, in service for several decades, are now completely outdated, and their numbers are insufficient, especially after donations to Ukraine.
General Wiesław Kukuła, chief of the general staff of the Polish Armed Forces, also downplayed concerns that introducing this new type of weapon in the army will be an obstacle to the Polish defence industry, and downplayed concerns about potential vehicle repairs and overhauls.
