Congressman Part Of Delegation
To Poland To Discuss
Security Cooperation

• PostEagle
• September 14, 2016
• Uncategorized
• 0 Comments

Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-3) visited Poland recently as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation to discuss security cooperation in light of ongoing Russian aggression in the Ukraine and the build-up of Russia’s military. The delegation met with top Polish officials in Warsaw from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Defense, and the National Security Bureau.

“As a proud Polish-American that represents more than 100,000 Poles, I was honored to be part of this delegation demonstrating America’s commitment to assuring the security of Poland, one of America’s closest and most reliable allies,” said Rep. Lipinski. “The Polish people have shown toughness and resiliency throughout history. Poland was the first nation to break from the grip of the Soviet Union and they continue to be committed to doing what it takes to maintain freedom. Poland is one of only five NATO members that is meeting its commitment to spend at least 2 percent of its GDP on defense. Other members need to follow Poland’s lead. This is not only critical to the security of Poland, but to peace in Europe and the world.

“Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. has stepped up its military presence in Poland and in the Baltics, and I support NATO’s recent commitment made during the Warsaw Summit to place a rotating battalion in each of the Baltic states along with a battalion in Poland. Fulfilling this multinational forward presence of roughly 4,000 troops will build the alliance’s cohesion and ability to respond to any threat.

“Earlier this year, I helped the House of Representatives pass $3.5 billion for the European Reassurance Initiative (ERI) in both the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) Appropriations bill. The ERI is essential for NATO’s security strategy in Central Europe and will enable the alliance to provide a credible deterrence along its eastern border. As Congress convenes this month, I am committed to seeing this necessary funding included in the final versions of the NDAA and DOD Appropriations. The security of Poland and the Baltic nations is critical to American security.”

The delegation also traveled to Riga to hear from Latvian military and foreign policy officials about the threat that they see to the Baltics from Russia. Officials discussed current efforts to modernize the Latvian military and to work with NATO allies to deter Russian aggression. The last stop of the trip was Wiesbaden, Germany, where the delegation attended the U.S. Army Europe summer commander’s conference to learn about NATO’s current and future planned activities to build a credible deterrence to any Russian aggression against NATO allies in Central Europe.

Lipinski is the leader of the Congressional Caucus on Poland. The Poland Caucus, as it is also known, is a bipartisan group of members of Congress dedicated to maintaining and strengthening the United States-Poland relationship and to educating others on the political, economic, and security issues facing this region of the world.

“I look forward to continuing to work on building U.S. relations with Poland, not just on security issues but on economic and other issues,” said Lipinski. “Critical to this is fighting for Poland’s inclusion in the visa waiver program.”

Office of Congressman Lipinski