Poland To Spend Circa $2.5 Billion on Border Fortifications With Belarus & Russia
In the wake of the war in Ukraine the Polish government decided to take action against potential future aggression coming from the territory of Belarus and the Kaliningrad Region. In mid-May, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced plans for building fortifications and obstacles in the border area between the states. This ambitious operation is claimed to cost over $2.5 billion and includes the construction of both defensive fortifications as well as natural obstacles such as swamps and dense forestry. The government, however, has to secure the financing for compulsory purchase of land from private owners. This plan has been named “The Shield of the East”.
The fortification works have not yet even begun but the extensive plan to change the Polish eastern border into a fortified zone is being drawn up. One of the main concerns of the planners will be the way of stopping Russian mechanized and armored forces dead in their tracks as soon as they decide on the incursion into Poland. Massive artificial swamps come as one of the ideas. Some experts mention that the construction of tank ramps, such as the ones used by Israel in the Yom Kippur War, may be considered. The Polish border will become the most secured frontier of NATO according to the Polish MoD expectations.
As the War in Ukraine shows, the system of complex fortifications grants huge advantages for the defenders who can coordinate their operations utilizing a system of covers and bunkers. What is more the pre-planned zones of fire play a huge role in stalling infantry assaults but can be also utilized for anti-tank purposes with huge successes.
In the Polish topographical reality building complex fortification systems is a necessity. Having no geographical obstacles such as mountains or vast marshlands in the East has been an issue for centuries. A lot has to change under the “Shield of the East” plan which has to strengthen not only Polish defense capabilities but also those of the entire NATO alliance.