Poland has gotten its first shipment of U.S.-made HIMARS rocket launchers. It is part of an upgrade of its defenses amid security concerns due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The M142 HIMARS, or High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, is a multiple rocket launcher with a range of up to some 300 kilometers (190 miles) developed in the late 1990s for the U.S. armed forces.
Defense Minister of Poland, Mariusz Blaszczak and other military officials were present at the acquisition ceremony on Monday, May 15, 2023, at an air base in Warsaw.
Blaszczak laid emphasis that the HIMARS launchers had been proven in combat in Ukraine and that Poland was seeking to procure additional launchers, to reach a total capacity of about 500 units.
Under a 2019 contract, Poland is spending some $414 million (380 million euros) to buy 18 advanced combat HIMARS launchers and two HIMARS training launchers, with ammunition and related equipment. Poland is buying billions of dollars’ worth of weapons, mainly from the U.S. and South Korea, to modernize its armed forces. The deal includes logistics and training.
Some of the equipment will replace weapons such as over a dozen Soviet-made MiG-29 jet fighters, which Poland has been handing to Ukraine to help it fight Russia’s invasion of almost 15 months.
Last year, Poland received a number of U.S. Patriot missile systems, and deliveries of another battery are expected this year. The first deliveries of Abrams tanks have also arrived from the U.S., as well as deliveries of tanks and howitzers from South Korea.
Poland is also purchasing U.S. F-35 and South Korean FA-50 jet fighters.
Right-Wing Government To Seek Third Term In Parliamentary Elections
Poland’s right-wing government, which will be seeking a third term in parliamentary elections in the fall, has given the purchases wide publicity, seeking to reassure Poles amid a military conflict across their eastern border.
Poland is due to hold a parliamentary election this fall. A date has not been set yet, but the vote is expected to be in October or early November at the latest.
The party has governed Poland for eight years, and spending on social benefits has helped boost its popularity.
On Sunday, May 14, 2023, leader of Poland’s ruling party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, promised voters a range of new benefits, including a large increase in cash benefit for families with children.
Kaczynski disclosed at a party convention that he intends to raise the 500 zlotys ($120) that parents receive monthly for each child under 18 to 800 zlotys ($192) starting in January.
Kaczynski added that the Law and Justice party would provide free medicine for people aged 65 and above and for young people until the age of 18. He also disclosed that he seeks to get rid of tolls for passenger cars on state highways as soon as possible, and on private motorways in the future.
Some Poles, including some economists and members of the business community, oppose the large benefits, saying they are a factor behind dramatic cost-of-living increases. Inflation rose to over 18% this year but has fallen slightly since.
Recent opinion polls indicate that Law and Justice is more popular than any other party but would not be able to win enough votes to govern alone.
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