Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09WARSAW466
2009-05-06 12:20:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Warsaw
Cable title:  

POLISH DEPUTY DEFENSE MINISTER DISCUSSES MISSILE

Tags:  PREL PGOV MARR ORP RS PL CZ NATO 
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DE RUEHWR #0466/01 1261220
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O 061220Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY WARSAW
TO RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8257
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 WARSAW 000466 

SIPDIS

EUR, PM, H

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/20/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ORP RS PL CZ NATO
SUBJECT: POLISH DEPUTY DEFENSE MINISTER DISCUSSES MISSILE
DEFENSE, PATRIOT BATTERY DEPLOYMENT AND NATO, US AND
RUSSIAN RELATIONS DURING A MEETING WITH SENATOR LEVIN

REF: WARSAW 375

Classified By: Ambassador Ashe for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 WARSAW 000466

SIPDIS

EUR, PM, H

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/20/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ORP RS PL CZ NATO
SUBJECT: POLISH DEPUTY DEFENSE MINISTER DISCUSSES MISSILE
DEFENSE, PATRIOT BATTERY DEPLOYMENT AND NATO, US AND
RUSSIAN RELATIONS DURING A MEETING WITH SENATOR LEVIN

REF: WARSAW 375

Classified By: Ambassador Ashe for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: Poland,s Deputy Defense Minister,
Stanislaw Komorowski, said the decision to host the Missile
Defense (MD) site was not an easy one and they hoped it would
be fulfilled. Poland is counting on the Patriot deployment
and he did not consider it a replacement for MD. He
expressed concern that slowing or abandoning MD risks NATO
also slowing pursuit of improved air defense systems and,
therefore, a reduction in overall Alliance security. NATO
resources are not evenly spread across the Alliance,
therefore, her members are not equally protected. Poland
wants to be seen as a strong NATO Ally and any US or NATO
investment in Poland is good for the entire Alliance. Poland
desires an increased US presence on Polish soil as a means
towards greater modernization and strategic cooperation. The
decision to host the MD site was not only pragmatic, but
exemplified Poland,s willingness to support an Ally who
asked, and desires to be seen as a valued, strategic security
partner. On Russia, Minister Komorowski thought Russia
should be consulted and described the confidence-building
measures they have offered. At the same time, he was adamant
that Russia not have veto power over what he considered to be
bilateral US-Polish matters. Ultimately, Minister Komorowski
believed that fulfilling the political declaration agreed
upon between the US and Poland, regardless of timeline, is
the most important. END SUMMARY


2. (C) Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) met with Deputy Defense
Minister Stanislaw Komorowski on 16 April to discuss Missile
Defense (MD) and the Polish perspective on the Patriot
Battery.

POLISH THINKING BEHIND MISSILE DEFENSE


3. (C) Minister Komorowski said the decision to host the
Missile Defense site in Poland was not an easy one, but one
Poland gladly accepted. They hope the MD commitment will be

fulfilled. The two documents, the Ballistic Missile Defense
Agreement and the Declaration of Strategic Cooperation were
adopted simultaneously, although they were separate
documents. Fulfilling the political declaration, regardless
of timeline, is the most important. Polish willingness to
host the site symbolized the Polish way of thinking.
Solidarity is deeply embedded into the Polish psyche and it
is natural for Poles to find strength in numbers, strength
gained through a common bond of like-minded people who share
the same values of freedom and democracy. Solidarity also
means that Poles come to the aid of Allies and operate in
good faith when an Ally requests support. Poles are ready to
defend others in NATO, not just herself. Poles are always
ready to make such decisions since they serve a greater
purpose. Polish cooperation on Missile Defense was seen not
only as assisting an Ally in providing part of a system that
would protect the US from a ballistic missile threat from
Iran or elsewhere, but also as a means to help protect other
NATO members. It is a tangible sign of Article 5 of the
Washington Treaty. Although the Iranian threat might not be
directed against Poland, the agreement to host the MD site
fit into the three pillars of Polish security and defense
policy: membership in NATO, the EU and greater strategic
cooperation with the US. The Polish public was extremely
pleased by the comments made by President Obama in Prague
that acknowledged the courageous decisions by the Polish and
Czech people to host MD elements.

THE IMPACT OF ABANDONING MISSILE DEFENSE


4. (C) Minister Komorowski believed it would be a setback
for the NATO Alliance if MD were slowed or abandoned.
Emphasizing that security cannot be taken for granted, he
suggested that any slow-down, or an outright abandonment, of
MD would slow down NATO,s pursuit of missile defense
systems. In light of Iran's desire to pursue its nuclear
ambitions as a means to gain influence in the region,
abandoning MD is a risk he believed nobody should be willing
to take. When asked by Senator Levin where the threats
emanated from, Minister Komorowski said the greatest threats
were unpredictable, thus the need for NATO to build an air
defense system capable of defending against unpredictable
threats.

PATRIOT IS NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR MISSILE DEFENSE


5. (C) Minister Komorowski does not consider the Patriot
Battery to be a replacement for MD. He considered Patriot

WARSAW 00000466 002 OF 003


and MD to be related to one another, yet separate. The
Polish public holds a very high opinion of the Patriot
deployment to Poland as it's seen as one of the most
important examples of US-Polish cooperation, US commitment to
Polish security and modernization of the Polish Armed Forces.
The Battery is seen as a symbolic gesture of good will and
an intention on the US side, in keeping with the Declaration
of Strategic Cooperation signed by the two Nations, Foreign
Ministers in August 2008, towards deeper cooperation, a
larger US presence, and a tangible commitment to modernizing
the Polish Air Defense systems. He viewed the Patriot
deployment as the beginning of a better Air Defense system
for the entire NATO Alliance. It also signals the beginning
of a greater US presence on Polish soil and US intentions to
develop the US-Polish relationship on a more strategic level
over time.

AMERICAN TROOPS WELCOME ON POLISH SOIL


6. (C) Minister Komorowski described the other agreements
working in parallel to the BMDA, such as those needed for the
temporary Patriot Battery deployment and its eventual
permanent garrison. The SOFA Supplemental agreement is
viewed as something necessary not just for MD, but to support
American troops on Polish soil. He believed the SOFA
Supplemental would create a legal umbrella over US forces on
Polish territory, enabling more to be stationed in Poland.
Unlike Russian forces that were never invited onto Polish
soil and never appreciated, Minister Komorowski described the
Patriot deployment and garrison as a tangible, symbolic
presence of friend who is both invited and appreciated.
Poland,s membership in NATO engenders positive public
opinion in Poland, and the US is the most appreciated of the
NATO members.

LET'S EXERCISE CAUTION WITH RUSSIA


7. (C) Minister Komorowski said MD should be considered a
common system, part of a NATO or possibly even a global
system that would lead to cooperation among other countries.
If Russia wanted to be part of that community, it would be a
very positive sign. Poland would welcome Russian involvement
in creating Missile Defense solutions, with the understanding
that the Russians would not have a say in the actual
effectiveness of it. Were they to have a say in the
technical aspects of creating an MD system, one would have to
question its reliability. Russia is still an unpredictable
neighbor as reflected by her invasion of Georgia so any
reliance on them would be unwise. If the Russian radar in
Azerbaijan were to be used as part of a Missile Defense
system, it should be used as part of a broader MD system and
not as a substitute to the proposed Czech radar site.
Consultation with Russia on MD matters would be okay, but
they should not be allowed to hold veto power in a matter
that was between the US and Poland, or multilateral among
NATO members. Poland has offered multiple
confidence-building measures that Russia has neglected to
seriously consider. Komorowski believed Russia was using the
notion of Missile Defense in Europe as a threat to the
Russian people in order to maintain a certain level of fear
among her own citizens. This fear, in turn, would ensure the
Russian citizens turned towards their current leadership to
protect them, thus keeping them in power.

TREAT US LIKE A STRATEGIC PARTNER


8. (C) Minister Komorowski said it was a shame that after
10 years as a NATO member, Poland is still referred to as a
"new" NATO member. He described the uneven spread of
infrastructure (manpower, equipment and installations) across
NATO, noting the lack of anything substantial in the way of
infrastructure in Central Europe. He believed that only a
more even distribution of NATO resources across NATO would
truly indicate that all NATO member states are equally
protected. Any growth of a US/NATO presence in Poland, as
well as the modernization efforts, benefit the entire NATO
alliance. In the event of the need to invoke Article 5 of
the Washington Treaty, the assets would be ready to be used
in or to be deployed from Poland. He said that Poland viewed
Article 5 as the most important aspect of NATO membership.
Furthermore, it is important for Poland to be seen as a
strong NATO Ally. Poland is doing more than others in the
security and defense areas as exemplified in their EU and
NATO commitments, as well as support to the US in Iraq.
Everything Poland is undertaking in the security and defense
field serves a twofold, common interest: shared US-Polish
security interests, as well as the broader security
commitment to the international community.

WARSAW 00000466 003 OF 003




9. (U) CODEL Levin has cleared this message
ASHE