"This memorandum of understanding means that by the end of 2012 we will have in Poland a detachment allowing for the permanent rotation of American military aircraft, both combat and transport aircraft," Defence Minister Bogdan Klich said.
"From 2013 we plan the regular and periodic presence of aircraft and the training of pilots four times a year," Klich told reporters after the signing ceremony with the U.S. ambassador to Poland, Lee Feinstein.
Poland, a NATO member since 1999, has long lobbied for "American boots on the ground" to counter what it perceives as a more assertive Russian stance in central and eastern Europe.
The U.S. military is rotating a Patriot battery through Poland as part of efforts to upgrade Polish air defences.
During his visit to Warsaw, Obama and Polish leaders also reaffirmed plans for Poland to host SM-3 interceptors from 2018 under a revamped U.S. missile defence programme.
"From 2013 we plan the regular and periodic presence of aircraft and the training of pilots four times a year," Klich told reporters after the signing ceremony with the U.S. ambassador to Poland, Lee Feinstein.
Poland, a NATO member since 1999, has long lobbied for "American boots on the ground" to counter what it perceives as a more assertive Russian stance in central and eastern Europe.
The U.S. military is rotating a Patriot battery through Poland as part of efforts to upgrade Polish air defences.
During his visit to Warsaw, Obama and Polish leaders also reaffirmed plans for Poland to host SM-3 interceptors from 2018 under a revamped U.S. missile defence programme.
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