WARSAW — Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak met with US Defense Secretary Ash Carter in Washington on May 19 to discuss the potential acquisition of Patriot interceptors by Poland under the country's ongoing air defense modernization program.

"Everyone is aware that this decision, which will last for decades, will interconnect the air defense capabilities of our two countries," Siemoniak said following the meeting, as quoted in a statement by the Defense Ministry. "We are expecting a maximum presence of US military [on Polish soil]. We would like to have the backing of the most powerful partner in the world which does not fear [Russian ballistic missile] Iskander."

In late April, the Polish ministry announced its decision to select the US Patriot system over the Aster 30, offered by a European consortium of MBDA and the Thales Group.

Honduran marines wash up and do laundry at their base in La Ceiba, Honduras, on Tuesday, June 3, 2014. The base, a compound that once belonged to a drug lord, lacks running water. (Mike Morones/Staff)

Local newspaper Rzeczpospolita reported that the designed acquisition of short-, mid- and long-range missiles under Poland's air defense program could be worth up to 26.5 billion zloty (US $7.2 billion).

Between 2013 and 2022, In the years 2013-2022, Warsaw plans to allocate 139 billion zloty between to overhaul and modernize Poland's military capabilities.

During Siemoniak's two-day visit to Washington, other issues discussed by the official and his US counterpart included Poland's military modernization program and potential acquisitions of new weapons, the conflict in Ukraine, and US military presence in Europe, the statement said.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

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