Poland Seeks Closer Nuclear Deterrence Cooperation With the US and France
Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz says Poland wants a bigger role in NATO's nuclear deterrence system and closer cooperation with both the United States and France. He gave no timeline.
Poland intends to seek wider participation in the Western nuclear deterrence system and hopes to develop cooperation in this area with both the United States and France. Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said this in an interview with the Polish outlet WNP, published on Saturday, 24 October, as reported by Germany's Deutsche Welle.
The statement matters because it points to a possible change in Poland's role within the security architecture of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), amid concerns on the alliance's eastern flank over the war in Ukraine.
The Nuclear Sharing programme
Kosiniak-Kamysz stressed that strengthening the military partnership with Washington is not limited to stationing American troops on Polish soil. Warsaw wants to join Nuclear Sharing, a programme that lets individual NATO members take part in the alliance's nuclear deterrence mechanisms.
The programme has operated since the Cold War. It provides for American nuclear weapons to be based in several European countries and for allies to be involved in their maintenance, planning and potential use in the event of a military conflict. Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey currently participate; none of them has its own nuclear weapons. Establishing new sites requires agreement with both Washington and the alliance leadership.
Cooperation with France
Poland is also developing contacts with France. In recent years Paris has advocated a stronger European component of defence and has invited allies to take a closer part in the French nuclear deterrence system. The minister said cooperation with the two countries is not contradictory, and that joining the American programme does not rule out developing a "European track" in security.
He said Warsaw will proceed step by step, gradually expanding its commitments in nuclear deterrence. He did not give a timeline for any possible deployment of nuclear weapons or for related decisions, pointing to the need for consultations with NATO allies.
Background
Poland's possible participation in nuclear deterrence mechanisms has been discussed for several years, as Russia wages war against Ukraine and eastern-flank NATO states grow more worried about their security. Polish authorities have repeatedly spoken of the need to strengthen allied military presence in the region and expand the country's defence capabilities. In particular, Warsaw is seeking a larger permanent American contingent on its territory.
