KIELCE, Poland — Polish Deputy Prime Minister and National Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said he intends to sign contracts worth about PLN 2 billion ($515 million) with foreign and domestic manufacturers during the four-day MSPO defense industry show in here this week.
The announcement came shortly after the government approved the largest planned military budget in the nation’s history, forecast at around PLN 187 billion in 2025.
The forthcoming deals are to include contracts awarded to “our foreign partners, including from Spain and the United States, but also major contracts signed with [local defense industry players] Rosomak and Jelcz Polish state-owned companies, but also private and foreign ones,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
Under the plan, Poland’s defense spending in 2025 is to capture a record 4.7% share of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Funds for the military will be earmarked in the ministry’s budget, but also in the state-operated Armed Forces Support Fund, which finances purchases of new weapons and equipment.
This year, Warsaw aims to inject 4.2% of its GDP into the military. If the government goes through with its plans, this level of spending as a share of GDP will place Poland above all other NATO member states.
The show’s first day was also attended by Polish President Andrzej Duda. This year’s edition of the trade show, which has established itself as a leading industry event in the region, runs between Sept. 3 and 6.
This year’s MSPO is attended by some 769 exhibitors from 35 countries, according to data from the show’s organizers.
