Poland's president meets Lockheed Martin CEO about further investment in military weapons

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s president has met the CEO of U.S. manufacturer Lockheed Martin about strengthening security in the region and continued U.S. investment in Poland’s military weapons and equipment, the country's National Security Bureau said Wednesday.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the bureau said the talks between President Andrzej Duda and Jim Taiclet included “securing the participation of Poland's defense sector" in deliveries and maintenance of U.S. weapons such as jet fighters, Javelin missiles and elements of the High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). Lockheed Martin makes Javelins, HIMARS and some jet fighters.

Duda, who is the supreme commander of Poland's armed forces, “emphasizes the importance of maintaining the continuity of investments in the modernization of the army” as an element of increasing the capabilities of the domestic industry, the bureau said.

With a war across its eastern border, in Ukraine, Poland is purchasing tens of billions of dollars worth of weapons and military equipment from South Korea and from the U.S., including HIMARS systems, Abrams tanks and F-35 fighters.

Poland has also been stepping up its own defenses: in 2022, it spent some 4% of its GDP on defense, double the NATO target of 2%. Some of that spending has gone to replace Soviet and Russian-made equipment offered to Ukraine, which is battling Russia's full-scale invasion. The 2024 budget has allocated 3.1% of Poland’s GDP for defense.