On April 5, in Powidz, the head of the Ministry of Defense attended the opening of a new logistics and equipment complex. The new so-called "Long Term Equipment Storage and Maintenance Complex" - LTESM-C is the largest single infrastructure project funded by NATO and the US in the last 30 years. Several thousand pieces of military hardware and equipment, including tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, artillery, technical security vehicles and self-propelled bridges, will be stored in the warehouses that comprise it.

- The base we are opening today is modeled on US bases that have been operating for years in Western Europe. The ability to store military equipment at this base will significantly reduce the US forces' response time, strengthening the security of Poland and the entire eastern flank of NATO. The security system we are building is based on the principle of building a system of defense and deterrence, so that US forces will be able to support Poland's forces in just a few days. The very fact of building this base is an important element in deterring an aggressor and showing solidarity within the North Atlantic Alliance

- said Deputy Prime Minister.

The complex, which has been built, makes it possible to receive allied reinforcement forces quickly and efficiently, reducing the time it takes to fully equip them from a month and a half (in the case of delivery flown in from the US) to just a few days. LTESM-C is more than 60,000 sq. m. of humidity-controlled storage space capable of providing the best possible conditions for storing not only equipment, but also the materials necessary for its immediate operation and maintenance. The LTESM-C complex will complement the Munition Storage Area (MSA), which is also under construction in Powidz.

- Behind me, the United States equipment is shown, but the Polish Army is also being equipped with just the same. This is the principle we follow. We choose the best gear, proven in battle. It is American equipment because we want to build interoperability with US forces. Polish Abrams will soon, already later this year, go to the equipment of the Polish Armed Forces. As a matter of principle, our goal is to make interoperability between the US and Polish armed forces as high as possible

- added the head of the Ministry of Defense.

The two investments are part of a consistently implemented plan to develop the infrastructure in Powidz - a result from the bilateral Polish-US Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) signed in 2020.

- Our firm relations and cooperation build the security of NATO's entire eastern flank. As we always say, and today I wish to say it once again - we are stronger together.

- noted Deputy Prime Minister Mariusz Blaszczak.

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The bilateral Polish-US Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) was signed in 2020. The EDCA agreement creates the conditions for a sustained and long-term presence of the US armed forces in Poland, which positively impacts our country's security, as well as defense and economic development.