The US and Poland will sign a deal for the permanent deployment of a US air detachment in Poland, Polish Defence Minister Bogdan Klich has confirmed.
“An agreement on the permanent deployment of US Air Force assets in Poland and the periodic rotation of F-16 fighters in the country will be signed after Barack Obama’s visit,” he added.
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The new aviation detachment will service F-16 fighter jets and C-130J Hercules transport planes, and the F-16 rotation is expected to begin in 2013.
Senior White House national security official Liz Sherwood-Randall said, “What we will be doing is rotating trainers and aircraft to Poland so that they can become more inter-operable with Nato.”
The US has already deployed a Patriot battery in Poland on a rotational basis and is also expected to host Standard Missile-3 interceptors as part of a new US missile defence plan.
US President Barack Obama is on a two-day visit to Poland for bilateral talks on energy and military cooperation, as well as meeting with 20 heads of state from central and eastern Europe.
