Poland wants to buy M1A2 SEPV3 Abrams Main Battle Tanks, like this one seen in 2020. (Sgt. Calab Franklin/US Army)
WASHINGTON: The US State Department has cleared Poland to buy 250 M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 tanks and other military equipment, estimated at almost $6 billion, as the US and its allies rush to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank amid Russian aggression toward Ukraine.
The sale of tanks to Poland has been pending since last summer, but the State Department came under congressional pressure to move the potential agreement forward late last month, as the Ukraine situation continued to deteriorate. A US official said Friday morning that Russia may have as many as 190,000 troops on the Ukrainian border, with President Joe Biden saying on Thursday that war could happen in a matter of “days.”
“What Mr. Putin did not want to see happen was a stronger NATO on his flank,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said during a press conference with Poland Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak early Friday. “That’s exactly what he will see going forward.”
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The announcement, made public on the website of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency Thursday evening, comes after top Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee pushed the Biden administration to approve the sale, according to Defense News. Those members argued that sending Poland the military’s most modernized tanks would send a message to NATO and Russia.
“This is the most modern version of the Abrams and will provide Poland with a highly advanced tank capability,” Austin said.
Like all DSCA announcements, the deal is not final. The announcement signals that the State Department has signed off on the deal, but the sale is still pending input from Congress. If lawmakers don’t object, quantities and dollar values could change during negotiations with industry.
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Austin said that the timeframe for delivery of the tanks is “under discussion.” The prime contractor for M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 tanks is General Dynamics Land Systems.
The sale also includes counter-IED systems, hundreds of machine guns, 26 M88 recovery vehicles, 17 Joint Assault Bridges and several other military capabilities.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a NATO Ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe,” the announcement reads. “The proposed sale will improve Poland’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing a credible force that is capable of deterring adversaries and participating in NATO operation.”
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