Firepower for Poland

To better understand the significance of an arms package of this size, in the context of hostilities in Eastern Europe, I reached out to Bradley Bowman, senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Bowman, who focuses on US defense strategy and policy, has served as a national security advisor to members of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, as well as an active duty US Army officer, Black Hawk pilot, and assistant professor at West Point.

Do you see this as a routine arms sale between two allies, or does it have deeper significance?

“Following Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine last year, the Biden administration has sought to unify the NATO alliance, arm Ukraine, and strengthen NATO’s eastern flank. This arms sale is focused on the last of those three priorities. These weapons will improve the capabilities of the Polish military and increase NATO deterrence, making Putin think twice before starting a conflict with the alliance.

“But many of these capabilities may not arrive anytime soon due to insufficient US defense industrial base capacity. It is noteworthy that the package includes ATACMS. I’d rather the administration send those first to Ukraine.”