US picks Poland for Patriot maintenance hub, shoring up NATO’s eastern flank

Poland will host Europe’s first Patriot PAC-3 missile maintenance center, allowing NATO allies to service critical air defense weapons without sending them to the United States.

Poland will host NATO’s first Patriot missile maintenance center, allowing allies to service critical air defense weapons without sending them to the U.S. U.S. and Polish soldiers walk toward a Patriot missile launcher near Drawsko Pomorskie, Poland, June 4, 2018. Poland was chosen to host a new European maintenance facility for Patriot PAC-3 missiles, the Defense Department announced. (Aaron Good/Michigan National Guard) Poland will host a new missile maintenance facility for Patriot air defense systems, expanding the country’s NATO role as the alliance works to strengthen its defenses against potential threats from Russia. The decision, announced Tuesday by the Pentagon, will establish Europe’s first dedicated maintenance center for Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptor missiles, allowing NATO allies to service critical air defense weapons without sending them to the United States.

The facility is expected to cost approximately $253 million and become operational in about a year, Reuters reported, citing remarks by Polish Deputy Defense Minister Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka. Poland was selected over Germany, the Netherlands and Norway following months of negotiations, Polish defense officials said. The facility will provide maintenance, repairs, refurbishment and recertification for PAC-3 missiles, which are designed to intercept ballistic missiles and other airborne threats. Currently, European operators must send certain missiles to the United States for servicing, a process Polish officials said can take more than a year.