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Poland opened a new defense repair and logistics center on Monday, built with British expertise, aimed at strengthening the country's air defenses and reinforcing NATO's eastern flank against what officials described as growing Russian aggression.
The facility, located in Czosnow in central Poland, will help protect Polish airspace using British know-how, the UK Ministry of Defense said in a statement. British and Polish officials attended the opening earlier Monday, including UK Minister for Defense Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard and Polish Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Zalewski.
The new site will enable faster, more direct maintenance, support and training for Poland's PILICA+ program, a multibillion-dollar initiative to build an integrated air defense network protecting Polish skies, developed in partnership with the UK. British personnel will work alongside Polish counterparts at the facility to help safeguard the country's airspace, according to the ministry's statement.
The opening was framed as part of the UK's broader commitment to protecting NATO's eastern flank, a term used to describe the alliance's member states bordering Russia and Belarus that have taken on heightened strategic significance since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Pollard said the project reflected the interconnected nature of the two countries' security and economic interests. "Stronger Polish air defenses mean stronger NATO air defenses, and that work is taking place while also supporting jobs in both nations," he said.
The center is expected to reduce the time and logistical complexity involved in servicing PILICA+ equipment by allowing repairs and support work to take place directly in Poland rather than relying solely on facilities abroad.
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