At a ceremony held in Warsaw, the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo and the Polish Defense Minister, Mariusz Błaszczak, signed the recently negotiated Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).
In the picture: the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo (left), the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda (center) and the Polish Defense Minister, Mariusz Blaszczak (right) / Photo by: kpt. Robert Suchy/CO MON
According to the DoS the agreement ‘reflects the shared vision outlined in the joint declarations signed by Presidents Donald Trump and Andrzej Duda in 2019, and reaffirmed during President Duda’s June 2020 visit to Washington, to deepen our defense cooperation’.
The EDCA serves as a supplement to the 1951 NATO Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). The agreement also establishes a framework to enhance and modernize capabilities of the partner nations, in support of the NATO Alliance’s collective defense. USA has already signed similar agreements with other NATO Allies, such as Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania.
The recently signed document outlines the legal status of US forces in Poland. It will also provide the necessary authorities for US forces to access specific Polish military installations and conduct activities for our mutual defense. This Agreement also supports expanded infrastructure, and enables an increased U.S. military presence in Poland.
The DoS also informed that the EDCA will allow to share of logistical and infrastructure costs for US forces present in Poland. According to the department, US will continue to bear the costs of training, equipping, and deploying U.S. forces to Poland.
USA leads the enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) battle group in Poland and deploys a rotational Armored Brigade Combat Team under Operation ‘Atlantic Resolve’, funded through the European Deterrence Initiative.