Poland has been intensively modernising its armed forces for several years, and one of the key elements of this process has been the development of a drone military.
The establishment of this unit was announced by Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Deputy Prime Minister and head of the Ministry of Defence, on Saturday 25 May 2024. This is part of Operation Shield East, in which the eastern borders with Belarus and Ukraine are to be strengthened. According to the minister, in addition to the Republic, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are also undertaking a similar initiative.
‘This will be the largest ever operation to strengthen our security on the eastern border. It will be fortifications, but above all state-of-the-art equipment. We are setting up drone troops (…) Both airborne, ground, surface and underwater ones,’ said Władysław Kosiniak Kamysz during the celebrations of the 11th Małopolska Brigade of Territorial Defence. He announced that PLN 2 billion would be allocated for this purpose.
The increased interest of European countries in the use of drones in defence planning has undoubtedly been influenced by their widespread use in the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia across Poland’s eastern border. The ever-present threat from Russia is forcing the countries on NATO’s eastern flank to continually modernise their armies, including increased investment in increasingly modern weapons and defence measures.
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