The decision to create the new brigade was approved by Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak on Thursday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
At a ceremony in the north-central village of Kijewo, the defence minister also greenlighted the creation of a training and maintenance centre for the US-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), called the HIMARS Academy, according to officials.
The event also featured a presentation of the performance of the HIMARS launchers.
Błaszczak told reporters that the Polish army’s newly established rocket-artillery unit, the 1st Rocket Brigade, would be part of the 16th Mechanised Division, which is responsible for the security of northeastern Poland, the PAP news agency reported.
He said: “Today we’ve seen the HIMARS launchers in action. They can strike targets at a range of up to 300 kilometres.”
The defence minister stressed that this gave the Polish army the ability to project its firepower at long distances.
Błaszczak added: “This is important for deterring the aggressor. We are aware that in the hands of the Ukrainians, the HIMARS launchers are an effective weapon when it comes to stopping the Russian invasion.”
He said that the Polish government’s mission was to equip the army with effective, tried and tested weaponry, “thanks to which, Russia won’t dare attack Poland.”
The defence minister stated: “That’s precisely the kind of weapons that the Polish army has at its disposal. As we could see today, in the hands of Polish soldiers, trained both in the US and in Poland, these weapons are an excellent means of deterring the aggressor.”
Błaszczak also told reporters: “The government continues to strengthen the Polish army. At this rate, in two years’ time Poland will have the strongest land forces in Europe.”
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
Thursday is day 519 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
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Source: PAP, Portal Obronny