Mateusz Morawiecki made the declaration during a visit to the Polish Air Force Academy in the eastern town of Dęblin on Monday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The prime minister told a media briefing that the Dęblin school trained pilots on Poland’s newly-acquired FA-50 light combat aircraft from South Korea and on the US-made F-35 stealth jets, slated for delivery to the Polish Air Force from 2024.
Morawiecki stated: “Poland needs to have a technological advantage, to make up for the disparity with Russia in terms of population size.”
He added: “It is possible. There are several places in the world today, where a smaller, but suitably equipped country, secures itself against potential aggressors who are much more numerous.”
The prime minister stressed: “That’s why we are investing huge resources in the Polish army…. This year defence spending has reached PLN 137 billion (EUR 29.8 billion)…. And next year it will exceed PLN 150 billion (EUR 32.6 billion.).”
Earlier this month, Morawiecki said: “In the face of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, we realise the Polish army needs to be modernised and equipped with weapons. This year, we are spending four percent of GDP on the development of the Polish army. In 2024, we’ve earmarked 4.2 percent of GDP for this purpose.”
Poland's defence spending will reach nearly 4 percent of its GDP in 2023, placing Warsaw at the top of the NATO rankings for the first time, according to news outlets.
On September 5, Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said that Poland was buying “the most advanced military equipment in the world” to strengthen its army.
He mentioned the American-made HIMARS artillery rocket launchers, the US-made F-35 stealth jets, due to be delivered from next year, the American Abrams main battle tanks, Bayraktar combat drones from Turkey and various military equipment from South Korea, the PAP news agency reported.
Monday is day 579 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
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Source: PAP, gov.pl