Poland
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Capital: Warsaw
Area: 312,685 sq km
Comparative area: slightly smaller than New Mexico
Population (July 2011 estimate): 38,441,588
Official language: Polish
State Partner: Illinois
International Organizations and Agreements: European Union, NATO, NATO’s Partnership for Peace
The United States and Poland have enjoyed warm bilateral relations since 1989 and Poland enjoys most-favored-nation status. In addition to supporting international counterterrorism efforts and NATO’s ISAF mission in Afghanistan, Poland cooperates closely with the United States on such issues as democratization, nuclear nonproliferation, human rights, regional cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe, and UN reform.
Polish military doctrine reflects the same defense posture as its Alliance partners. The Polish military continues to restructure and to modernize its equipment. Although budget constraints remain a challenge to modernization efforts, Poland is financially healthier than many of its neighbors, and has been able to move forward with U.S. assistance on acquiring F-16 multi-role fighters, C-130 cargo planes, HMMWVs, and other items key to the military's restructuring.
Poland continues to be a regional leader in support and participation in the NATO Partnership for Peace Program and has actively engaged most of its neighbors and other regional actors to build stable foundations for future European security arrangements. Poland has recently focused its participation in international security missions on those managed by NATO and the EU, and maintains a battalion in NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR), is a leading contributor to NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, and has deployed military forces to Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and NATO Training Mission in Iraq.
There are several military arrangements in place with Poland including an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement, Status of Forces Agreement, Ballistic Missile Defense Agreement, Declaration on Strategic Program and special operations forces and aviation detachment memoranda of understanding. They routinely participate in exercises with U.S. forces including: Immediate Response, Jackal Stone, Baltic Operations, and Combined Endeavor.
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