The outcome of NATO Summit and its
implication into Pol – US bilateral
relationship
Speech of Mr. Antoni Macierewicz, MOD of Poland, Atlantic
Council, Jul 22, 2016
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Warsaw Summit took place in a very special time and space. The
Western World is facing challenges that may permanently decide about
their future. New threats related to the Russian expansion in the East,
particularly the invasion of Ukraine, as well as the growing problem of
migration and terrorism in the South, require a firm and coherent answer.
I believe that the decisions made during this Summit will help to
strengthen the Western World and its reconstruction, basing upon the
common values that we all share.
Also, the place of the Summit was exceptional. In 1920, the Polish army
defeated Bolsheviks near Warsaw which was one of the most important
battles in history of mankind. It prevented Europe from being conquered
by the communist hordes and postponed suffering from the horrors of the
Soviet occupation. Two weeks ago we managed to find solutions to
growing perils from the East and South in the same place, although this
time we used diplomacy and deterrence.
I dare say that the NATO Summit in Warsaw was of historical
importance. For Poland, it is second only to accession to NATO itself.
The enhanced Forward Presence, composed of the troops of Western
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Allies on the Eastern Flank and the provisions that we made regarding
the Southern Flank, constitute a new reality. We may finally feel fullyfledged members of the Alliance. I am very grateful to the governments
who decided to embark themselves with the obligations of becoming
framework nations for Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. I bow to the
United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and the United States respectively.
From now on, Russia cannot decide which countries we want to invite to
deploy their troops in our territory. We welcome the new quality of
deterrence that the enhanced Forward Presence embodies. We also
welcome the tailored forward presence that was established for Romania
and Bulgaria.
The decisions made in Warsaw increase the Alliance’s capabilities in
dealing with challenges and threats from all strategic directions. In the
same time, we improved the security of the NATO citizens. These were
our aims before the Summit. I am very glad that we achieved them. We
reinforced the deterrence and defence policy of the NATO, adapting
them to the changing international environment.
Poland is aware that the implementation of these decisions requires an
increased effort on behalf of all of NATO. We realize how much it is
relevant to our country. We are located in the center of a vulnerable flank
while providing strategic depth to the NATO forces in the entire region.
We know what the expectations of our Allies are. Proportionally to our
capabilities, we are ready to take greater responsibility for the Alliance
and the security of the Eastern and Southern Flanks. We have been and
we will remain engaged in all NATO activities improving our collective
security.
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And these are not just words. For years, we have been participating in
the Baltic Air Policing Missions. This summer, we will begin the same
kind of mission over Romania and Bulgaria. Our company of motorized
infantry is serving on rotational basis in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
During the Summit we made a decision to support Canada as a
framework nation for Latvia. On 24 May this year, together with the
Ministers of Defence of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, we
decided to provide rotational presence of the V4 military forces in the
Baltic States. As Romania offered to send their troops to Poland, we also
made a decision to deploy ours in their territory.
Together with the USA, the UK, Greece and Estonia, we are one of only
five NATO members who fulfill their obligations related to the level of
military expenses. Right now we spend 2% of our GDP on defence but
we plan to increase that to 3%. This will make us second only to our
American friends.
The Summit brought important decisions in other fields as well. We
reinforced the cooperation between NATO and the EU. We made a
breakthrough resolution to consider cyberspace an operational domain.
This will also increase the competences of NATO in countering the cyber
threats.
All these decisions show that the NATO is an alliance that is strong and
demonstrates solidarity, aptly reacting to the changes in its environment.
However, they will not have any importance if we do not start
implementing them quickly. To achieve that, we will need a very practical
involvement and financial contribution on behalf of all the Allies. And still,
new threats and challenges are emerging.
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In this context, we are very concerned about the recent unrest and
attempted coup d’etat in Turkey – the key player to rebuild stability in the
Middle East. This kind of turbulences may serve only the interests of
Russia.
Now, let me emphasize the role of Turkey within the NATO. It is a
country with the second greatest land army in the Alliance, with the Allied
Land Command located in its territory, and also the one that holds the
frontline against Syria and direct threats from the Middle East. It would
be very bad if the potential of the Turkish armed forces and their morale
decreased. The migrant crisis might escalate again. Should this happen,
we would have to face the need of a serious adaptation of our strategic
doctrine. Other states would have to be reinforced in order to hold the
Southern flank. The Eastern Flank would become considerably more
vulnerable. States like Poland and Romania would have to build up their
defence capabilities. Political and military cooperation in Central Eastern
Europe would reach a new dimension. NATO would probably also have
to look for new allies elsewhere. The role of Ukraine and Georgia would
become pivotal.
I would also like you to pay special attention to all the issues related to
latter two. The first of them is crucial to understand and design all kinds
of the Allied strategies. Ukraine is at war and it bears the burdens of
protecting entire Europe from the Russian expansion. They need us and
we need them. Crimea and Donbas have to return to Ukraine, as well as
South Ossetia and Abkhazia to Georgia – the first victim of Russian
imperialism in the 21st century. Without restoring elementary international
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order and respecting the fundamental principles of international law,
reconstruction of order and peace in Europe will not be possible.
Now, how will all of this affect the Polish-American bilateral cooperation?
Firstly, let me observe that we have a very long story of the PolishAmerican brotherhood of arms, coming back to the 18th century and
Polish generals Tadeusz Kościuszko and Kazimierz Pułaski. Later we
had Merian Cooper and American pilots who helped us with creation of
the Polish Air Force, we fought arm to arm during the World War Two.
After the war, Polish emigrees helped the USA in shaping their armed
forces and intelligence, and Col. Ryszard Kukliński, codename Jack
Strong, passed invaluable intelligence information to CIA.
More recently, we fought together in Iraq and Afghanistan. I know that
both Polish and American soldiers mutually consider themselves the
most trustful allies in the battlefield. We are also very grateful for the
opportunity of studies that our young officers enjoy in the American
military academies in Annapolis, West Point and Colorado Springs.
Let me also mention an excellent cooperation we have had with the
American generals and commanders, who were always the most
welcome guests in Poland. My personal gratitude goes to generals Phil
Breedlove, Ben Hodges, Mark Milley or most recently, Curtis Scaparotti.
We are sure that the best is yet to come. We are glad that the USA took
the responsibility of a framework nation for Poland. We are also very
thankful for the decision to deploy an Armored Brigade Combat Team
(ABCT) starting February 2017. The engagement of the United States
will be of crucial importance to the future of the enhanced Forward
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Presence. It will create a solid framework for the Polish-US defence
partnership. We are now preparing to host the US troops on the Polish
territory, and we will be ready exactly as the Polish proverb says it: Gość
w dom, Bóg w dom – When you are a host to a guest in your house, you
are a host to God.
If I was to sum up the results of the NATO Summit for the Polish-US
bilateral relationship, I would use this one sentence which has been the
essence of our common military tradition: to our freedom and yours.
Thank you.
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