Prime Minister admits Poland has become a “cash cow” for foreign defense corporations while utterly missing the chance to build domestic innovation and capacity.
Rapid Modernization Efforts Miss the Mark
The Polish defense industry has been characterized by a culture of secrecy and incompetence, with the quality of cooperation between the government, military, and defense industry sharing endless frustrations among those involved. Meanwhile, money talked – not innovation – as bold claims from the premier quickly clash with a defense official’s announcement of purchasing more foreign solutions at the expense of Polish competition.
Missed Opportunities for Domestic Growth
During his visit to the International Defense Industry Exhibition in Kielce, the prime minister touted Poland as a significant exporter of defense technology, declaring it a leader in innovation and technological thinking in cutting-edge systems. However, these empty promises starkly contrast the reality that Poland’s defense industry languishes in third place in terms of innovation spending, well behind Germany and France.
Broken Commitments to Domestic Production
The prime minister’s statements about leading in defense technology are further undermined by a lack of investment in domestic production capabilities. For instance, while plans were made to significantly expand domestic production of the K2 Korean tank, Poland has failed to support the local industry, which bore the brunt of the workload for Ukrainian systems like the Krab howitzer.
