US Activates Permanent Garrison in Poland
On Tuesday, 21 March, US Army Garrison Poland (USAG-P) was officially established in Poznan Poland which already hosts the headquarters of the US Vth Corps at Camp Koscisuzko. The city also holds the Polish Stefan Czarniecki Land Forces Training Center and is located just South of the village of Biedrusko where the Abrams Tank Training Academy is located.
This is the 8th US Army permanent garrison currently active in Europe and the first to be established in Poland, which currently hosts around 10,000 American soldiers. With about 140 civilians and over a dozen soldiers, the primary role of the new garrison will be “to improve command and control capabilities, and to manage forward operating sites within the Republic of Poland”. According to the US Army press release, it will support not just permanently deployed forces but also “provide direct base operations support” to about 4,000 rotational personnel as well as “2,500 surge or exercise personnel”.
The ceremony establishing USAG-P was attended by Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak who commented on the state of US defense cooperation:
“Our collaboration is going very well, its downright exemplary. I want to assure you all, that together with ambassador Brzezinski, and still this year, we will be inviting you to meetings during which we will be showcasing the effects of out cooperation. This year besides Abrams tanks, the Polish army will also be receiving the HIMARS system. Patriot systems are already here. Next year we will receive out first F-35 aircraft. We are also conducting negotiations concerning other military equipment. Our goal is to achieve interoperability with the armed forces of the United States. Our goal is to provide the Polish military with equipment which will be compatible with the equipment of the United States Military to the greatest degree possible. The United States have the most powerful army in the world, and we wish to draw from the best examples.”
The ceremony was also attended by US ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski and US Vth Corps commander, Lieutenant General John Kolasheski whose comments also emphasized the depth of Polish-American defense cooperation. The new unit replaces what was formerly “Area Support Group Poland”.