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As U.S.
Ambassador to Poland I was on hand to observe the
historic signing of the Ballistic Missile Defense
Agreement between the U.S. and Poland. It was a
remarkable event: the Polish government was represented
at all levels, from President Lech Kaczynski and Prime
Minister Donald Tusk, to Foreign Minister Radoslaw
Sikorski, who actually signed the document with
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The atmosphere was
congenial, triumphant, and from my perspective as an
American observer, one of the most uplifting, as I
sensed the ties of the U.S.-Poland bilateral
relationship grow closer and more confident.
Briefly, the legally-binding agreement signed on
Wednesday calls for the establishment and operation of a
U.S. ballistic missile defense (BMD) interceptor
facility in Poland. It is an important step in our
efforts to protect the U.S. and Poland, as well as our
NATO Allies, from the growing threat posed by the
proliferation of ballistic missiles from the Middle
East. Besides strengthening the bilateral ties between
our two countries, this agreement will make a
substantial contribution to NATO’s collective security
and be an integral part of future NATO-wide missile
defense architecture. The agreement now moves to the
Polish Parliament for ratification. You can read more
about the missile defense agreement at this Fact Sheet
posted on our website [click
here]. For
further details about the technical aspects of the
missile defense system, I invite readers to visit the MD
page on our website at [click
here].
After signing the ballistic missile defense agreement,
our two countries issued a Declaration on Strategic
Cooperation, calling for our countries to elevate the
already close U.S.-Poland security and defense
cooperation relationship to a new and higher level. It
affirms the commitment of the United States to the
security of Poland and of any U.S. facilities located on
the territory of Poland. The Declaration notes that the
United States and Poland intend to enhance their
security through political-military cooperation,
information sharing, and defense industrial and research
and technology cooperation. A Strategic Cooperation
Consultative Group will serve as the primary mechanism
for furthering the U.S.-Poland strategic relationship.
An important new area in our expanded cooperation
involves the deployment of a U.S. Army Patriot air and
missile defense battery in Poland. The United States
intends to begin this deployment in 2009 with the aim of
establishing a garrison to support the U.S. Army Patriot
battery by 2012. The Government of Poland intends to
provide an appropriate site, infrastructure, and
facilities for this garrison acceptable to both
countries.
Finally, the United States remains committed to assist
Poland with the modernization of its Armed Forces, and
recognizes that this assistance will strengthen Poland’s
contributions to NATO and facilitate strategic
cooperation between our two countries.
August 20 marked a great day in reaffirming the strong
strategic relationship and cooperation between the U.S.
and Poland. It was the culmination of lengthy and
worthwhile discussions aimed at guaranteeing Poland’s
security, as well as the security of our NATO allies.
This agreement is a significant step forward for the
United States, Poland and all of our NATO alliance
partners.
The day after Secretary Rice signed the Missile Defense
Agreement, Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Lindsey
Graham (R-SC) stopped in Warsaw on their way back from a
trip to Tbilisi, Georgia. They spoke movingly of the
misery they had observed in Georgia – the plight of
refugees, homeless, displaced families, and the tragic
loss of life and loved ones. They praised the missile
defense agreement signed by Secretary Rice and Foreign
Minister Sikorski the day before, and promised their
efforts to work both sides of the aisle in Congress to
expand bipartisan support for missile defense and, in
Senator Graham’s words, “ensure the security of our
nation for decades to come.”
As always, I welcome your thoughts and feedback on this
and other issues. You can reach me directly at this
email address: ashevh@state.gov
Sincerely,
Victor Ashe
Ambassador |
