WARSAW — The United States has offered to sell Poland 250 used Stryker vehicles for a single ceremonial dollar, and Warsaw is preparing to accept that deal as soon as the logistics can be worked out, according to Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
Kosiniak-Kamysz, speaking to media on Wednesday, said that under the proposed plan, Strykers currently in Europe would be transferred to Poland rather than shipped back to the US following a force reduction on the continent. According to Polish Radio, the general staff of the Polish Armed Forces has endorsed accepting the deal, a key hurdle for any such plan.
“After a preliminary analysis, we agreed that the military will check their technical condition and assess their suitability for our armed forces — is this good material for training, operational operations, or do we need this type of equipment … ” Kosiniak-Kamysz explained. “I’m open to a positive recommendation regarding the usefulness of this equipment.”
The Pentagon and US State Department did not return requests for comment.
There are some obvious hurdles, at least on paper, to such a deal. For one, the depleted Strykers will require repairs, modernization, and the preparation of their entire support base and training system, as the vehicles have not been used by Poland before. This could be a costly and time-consuming solution, while outsourcing this work to foreign companies could further increase costs.
Secondly, there could be an industrial impact, at a time when the Polish government has prioritized domestic production with its weapons agreements. Presumably, the Strykers will fill a spot in the Polish army’s requirements that have been earmarked for the Rosomak IFVs and potential future carriers, limiting the need for domestic orders. The army currently has more than 900 Rosomak IFVs which are now produced in-country as a modified version with the ZSSW-30 turret. To date, 35 of those vehicles have been delivered to the 21st Podhale Rifles Brigade.
However, Kosiniak-Kamysz made a simple argument: The more weapons the Polish military has, the better, and the price is certainly right. He also noted that by learning to operate various types of equipment, Polish soldiers are preparing for cooperation with allied forces, several of which use the Strykers.
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Poland’s land forces currently suffer from a serious shortage of modern armored vehicles. The BWP-1 Soviet amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicles, in service for several decades, are now completely outdated, and their numbers are insufficient, especially after donations to Ukraine.
Gen. Wiesław Kukuła, chief of the general staff of the Polish Armed Forces, also downplayed concerns that introducing this new type of weapon in the army will be an obstacle to the Polish defense industry, and downplayed concerns about potential vehicle repairs and overhauls.
During a back and forth on the social media platform X, Kukuła wrote: “We received a donation proposal from the US side, analyzed it, and prepared recommendations for the AA [Armaments Agency]. As agreed with the US, the next step is a direct inspection of the technical condition. Then a decision will be made.”
Added the general: “The final decision should be made in the second half of next year. Unless the security situation deteriorates dramatically…”
Acceptance Of First Borsuk IFVs
In other vehicle news, Kosiniak-Kamysz on Thursday visited Huta Stalowa Wola for the official acceptance of the first 15 Borsuk amphibious infantry fighting vehicles to the Polish Armed Forces’ 15th Giżycko Mechanized Brigade. This marks the first delivery under a March agreement for 111 Borsuk vehicles, priced at zł 6.57 billion ($1.81 billion).
The Borsuk is a tracked IFV, armed with a 30mm Mk.44S Bushmaster cannon, machine gun and twin spike ATGM launchers. Each vehicle has an operational crew of three, and is able to transport six soldiers. Poland has previously declared a need for as many as 1,400 Borsuk vehicles, 300 of which might be specialized vehicles.
Notably, the defense minister said Warsaw is preparing “another order for another batch” of Borsuk vehicles, and while he did not say how many or when that deal might come, he indicated that Poland sees multiple mission sets in the future.
“Other versions will also be needed: command vehicles, support vehicles for chemical troops. We are working on various modifications in all these programs, both amphibious and those that do not require amphibious capabilities,” he said.
Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasized that he would like the Borsuk to become a Polish export product: “I believe that 2026 should be the year of promoting the Borsuk worldwide. All our attaché offices and diplomatic missions will be obligated to present and hold meetings with the armed forces of our allies or friends to whom we wish to supply it,” he announced.