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1 1 (August 1, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govbaqh0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service I tort rgthe legriative debate since 1914 August 1, 2019 U.S. Military Presence in Poland Introduction Poland has been a major focus of U.S. and NATO efforts to deter potential Russian aggression in Europe. This is in part due to its geographic location situated on NATO's eastern flank, providing land access to the Baltic States. Although Ukraine is not a NATO ally, the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 and subsequent initiation of a proxy war in Eastern Ukraine underscored to many international security observers that NATO allies, particularly those in Eastern Europe, could once again be threatened by Moscow. In response, the United States and its NATO allies have undertaken a number of initiatives to underscore NATO's collective defense agreements, thereby assuring allies of their own security while simultaneously deterring Russian aggression. Poland is a critical partner in these efforts. The United States has bolstered security in Central and Eastern Europe with an increased rotational military presence, additional exercises and training with allies and partners, improved infrastructure to allow greater responsiveness, enhanced prepositioning of U.S. equipment, and intensified efforts to build partner capacity for newer NATO members and other non-NATO countries. The European Deterrence Initiative (EDI), launched in 2014 (originally called the European Reassurance Initiative), an Overseas Contingency Operations account in the defense budget, is the key fiscal mechanism by which it does so. U.S. military operational activities of EDI are executed as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve (OAR). Approximately 6,000 U.S. military personnel are involved in OAR at any given time, with units typically operating in the region under a rotational nine-month deployment. A key strategic question facing policymakers in the executive branch and Congress is whether existing efforts are sufficient, or whether more should be done to militarily reinforce Europe generally, and Poland specifically. This discussion was in part prompted in 2018, when the Polish government, which is in favor of an increased U.S. presence on its territory, released a proposal under which it would contribute $2 billion toward establishing a U.S. military base in Poland. Current U.S. Rotational Forces in Poland As of June 2019, the United States had a rotational military presence in Poland of approximately 4,500 personnel, including those involved in OAR, U.S. forces involved in NATO Missile Defense efforts, and forces assigned to one of four NATO Enhanced Forward Presence Battle Groups. U.S. OAR forces and NATO Missile Defense forces in Poland include * an Army division-level Mission Command Element (MCE) in Poznan, Poland; * elements of a rotational Army Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) and support units; * an Army Aviation Task Force; * an approximately 750 person Army Logistics Task Force based in Poland but with logistics hubs also in Lithuania and Romania; * a U.S. Air Force Detachment at Lask, Poland; and * a U.S. Navy Detachment in Redzikowo, Poland working on the Aegis Ashore missile defense site as part of NATO Missile Defense efforts. The U.S.-led NATO Enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group stationed in Orzysz, Poland, includes a 889-soldier Armored Cavalry Squadron from the Vilseck, Germany- based U.S. Army 2nd Cavalry Regiment. U.S.-Poland Joint Declaration On June 12, 2019, the United States and Poland signed a Joint Declaration on Defense Cooperation Regarding United States Force Posture in the Republic of Poland. The declaration proposes adding an additional 1,000 U.S. rotational military personnel. The Joint Declaration proposes establishing the following: * An Army Division Headquarters (Forward). This could build on the existing Mission Command Element by adding additional staff and command, control, communications, and intelligence, and planning capabilities. * A joint U.S./Polish Combat Training Center (CTC) in Drawsko Pomorskie and other locations in Poland. * A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Squadron to share information, as appropriate, with Poland. * An Aerial Port of Debarkation (APOD) to support the movement of forces for training or contingency operations. * An Army Area Support Group (ASG) to provide maintenance and supply support to current and future U.S. forces in Poland. * A U.S. special operations forces capability in Poland to support, air, ground, and maritime operations. It is unclear if this capability is intended to be for command and control and planning purposes only, an actual operational capability, or a combination of both. * Infrastructure to support the presence of an Army ABCT, an Army Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB), and an Army Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. https:!crsreports cong --sg 0

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