Poland's South Korean Weapon Initiatives Create Security Risks and Cost Taxpayer Money

Having already purchased a large quantities of armaments from South Korea, Poland may now be seeking to take its relations with Seoul in the sphere of military hardware procurement to a new level.

Having already purchased some 1,000 battle tanks from South Korea, Poland now mulls manufacturing about 800 South Korean tanks on Polish soil

Earl Rasmussen, a retired US Army lt. colonel and a veteran international consultant, told Sputnik that this move would improve ties between Warsaw and Seoul.

“Poland is obviously looking for some of the most more advanced technology. And so they're looking at Korea for that, and that strengthens their partnership, too,” he said.

Rasmussen also suggested that this initiative “is most likely being encouraged by the United States,” and that it further helps strengthen the ties between Europe and Asia in general.

The manufacturing of South Korean weapons on Polish soil would, for one, decrease the costs of these weapons for Poland due to not having to ship said weapons from across the globe, Rasmussen explained, adding that it would also provide Warsaw “a method to potentially act as a supplier to other NATO members.”

“And another aspect is depending how long the conflict in Ukraine lasts, it provides a capability to act as a supply mechanism for armored vehicles and other types of weapon systems potentially into Ukraine as well,” he remarked. “So there's a kind of an economic perspective, but also a weapons supply perspective on both sides.”

However, it seems that this arrangement is not all sunshine and rainbows for Poland, as Mateusz Piskorski, political observer and columnist for the Myśl Polska newspaper, points out. According to him, this initiative is apparently linked with “certain loans” and an “additional debt to the South Korean financial institutions.”

“So this endeavor will definitely cost a pretty penny to Polish taxpayers,” Piskorski said.

He also observed that the South Korean military hardware in question is considered offensive weaponry, which raises questions about how Warsaw may want to use it.

“Since the Polish military strategy is devoid of any offensive initiatives, some wonder why Poland needs so many new tank brigades and tank weaponry,” Piskorsky noted.

What Consequences Might Polish Military Exercise Near Russian Border Have?

Regarding Warsaw’s plans to hold a massive military exercise next to the border with the Russian enclave Kaliningrad region, Rasmussen suggested that it does appear to be a “provocative move,” but pointed out that it is going to be conducted on the Polish territory.

“I think it's purely exercise, but it obviously is a provocative type of move. I see no direct conflict erupting out of that as a result of that,” he said.

Meanwhile, Piskorski insisted that, in light of the current tense situation in Eastern Europe, any military exercises close to the borders of Russia and its ally Belarus only serve to further escalate tensions.

“As far as Poland’s security is concerned, this exercise creates additional risks,” he mused.

Piskorski further postulated that the deepening cooperation between Poland and South Korea appears to be a part of an “informal global pro-American alliance” that the United States strives to create.

For his part, Rasmussen speculated that the United States seems to be trying to either “create an Asian NATO” or to “expand NATO into Asia and continue the containment of both Russia and China.”