On Friday, September 14, Minister M. Blaszczak met with William Thornberry, the chairman of the Armed Forces Committee of the House of Representatives and Christopher Smith, one of the signatories of a letter from Congressmen to the Secretary of Defense in support of Polish proposals for permanent US military presence in Poland.

During the talks with Senator M. Thornberry, Minister Blaszczak thanked for supporting cooperation initiatives, he also stressed that the presence of US soldiers on the eastern flank is an increase in security not only in Poland but throughout the region.

- Poland is a leader in this part of Europe. I am glad that it wants to increase defense spending above 2% of GDP - assured Congressman Christopher Smith during a meeting with the Minister of National Defense, whom he thanked for Polish Army support on missions abroad.

- We are pleased with the support expressed by US Congress and Administration representatives to strengthen the American presence in Poland, although this is a process and requires a lot of arrangements - said Minister Blaszczak.

The head of the Ministry of National Defense informed that in parallel with his conversations with the congressmen, a working group meeting was held at the Pentagon with the participation of deputy minister Tomasz Szatkowski. - I hope that these talks will end with the expected result. They were held in a good atmosphere and I hope that they will lead to success - said Minister Mariusz Błaszczak. He reminded that for the purpose of US base creation, Poland is ready to invest in infrastructure that will strengthen the defense capabilities of our country.