SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LLOYD J. AUSTIN III: Well, Mr. Blaszczak, welcome back to the Pentagon. It's a pleasure to host you today and to continue our important work together, so thanks for being here.
You know, two weeks ago, we were at Ramstein at the most recent meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, and Poland was once again a leader in helping Ukraine increase its military capabilities. In fact, without Poland's tremendous contributions we would never have been able to do as much for Ukraine after Russia's indefensible invasion.
Now Marius, I know that you are deeply dedicated to making the security ties between our country (sic) even stronger, so I'm pleased to hear that you're traveling to Illinois this weekend to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Poland's fruitful relationship with the Illinois National Guard under the State Partnership Program.
And today, I'd like to discuss how we can build on our progress to strengthen our bonds even more. I look forward to renewing our reciprocal defense procurement agreement today, which will deepen our defense industrial cooperation now and into the future, and I'm especially proud that we will be unveiling a new exhibition here at the Pentagon that highlights the long historic security partnership between Poland and the United States.
Ever since the founding of our republic, Americans and Poles have fought alongside one another, and the bond between our two countries continues to grow stronger to this day. So Marius, I'm grateful for your friendship and we deeply appreciate everything that Poland is doing for our shared security. Thanks again for making the great trip and -- and bringing the great weather, and I look forward to a great discussion this morning.
MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENSE MARIUS BLASZCZAK: Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary, dear Lloyd. It's my pleasure to be in Washington to see you again to discuss the Polish-American defense cooperation. The challenging security situation on NATO's eastern flank stemming from the Russian aggression in Ukraine has modified the landscape of the Polish-American defense relations and confirmed our commitments to security and stability in the region. Poland, the United States and other allies presented solidarity, unity and unprecedented support. I'm convinced that we will continue these efforts until the Ukraine (wins) victory.
Our bilateral cooperation is very intense. Poland is a proud host of the U.S. forces. I'm glad that our soldiers, through daily service, joint exercises and trainings, develop the partnership and enhance interoperability.
The important landmark of the U.S. presence in Poland was the activation of the permanent structures of the Fifth Corps in Camp Kosciuszko in Poznan, Army prepositioned stock and the U.S. Army garrison forward. This is a vital strengthening of the U.S. capabilities in the European theater in support of the allied deterrence and defense posture.
We are continuing with investments in infrastructure dedicated to the U.S. forces in Poland in accordance with the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. I appreciate the U.S. understanding of the challenges of the changes in the Euro-Atlantic security environment. In this context, we continue efforts to enhance our defense capabilities by acquiring state-of-the-art U.S.-made military equipment, including F-35, Abrams, Patriot and HIMARS. I trust that these acquisitions will also pave the way for more intense cooperation of our defense industries to ensure an effective maintenance of the U.S.-made equipment used by the Polish Armed Forces. In support of this aspect of our cooperation, I'm glad that we will sign today the Reciprocal Defense Procurement Agreement.
Mr. Secretary, dear Lloyd, I'm looking forward to discussing with you the common security challenges and advancements of our defense cooperation. Thank you.
SEC. AUSTIN: Welcome back to the Pentagon, Mr. Minister.
Thanks, everybody.