DISINFO: Poland is concerned over its second-class status in NATO
SUMMARY
It will be hard for Georgia, with its military budget of 380 million USD, to get rid of the Soviet military heritage. Even NATO member Poland with its 9 billion USD military budget failed to get rid of Soviet-old armament. At the same time, Poland is concerned over its “second-class country” status in the alliance.
RESPONSE
“Second-class” NATO membership does not exist. NATO is an organisation of collective defence established under the Washington Treaty. NATO member states make decisions through a consensus. Consensus decision-making is a fundamental principle which has been accepted as the sole basis for decision-making in NATO since the creation of the Alliance. Disposing of Soviet military equipment is a long-term process. Poland is undergoing a substantial military reform to strengthen its defense forces. For example, in 2015, it purchased 105 German tanks - Leopard 2A5 and also started to modernise the German Leopard 2A4. Poland also started to upgrade an important component of its airforce – the Mi-24 helicopters, equipping them with new sensors and guided missiles. On February 28th 2019, Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak signed a military modernisation plan under which the country will spend 185 billion PLN (U.S. $49 billion) on new weapons and military equipment by 2026.