WARSAW, Poland \u2014 As Russia continues to bolster its military capacities along its western borders, neighboring NATO member states such as Poland are responding to the rising security concerns by adapting and expanding their capabilities. Warsaw is intensifying efforts to strengthen the Polish military\u2019s air defense capacities, secure a permanent presence of U.S. troops on the country\u2019s soil and establish a new division of the operational forces in Poland\u2019s east.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moscow claims its military buildup comes in response to Western actions. Speaking at a meeting of Russian Defence Ministry leadership on July 24, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that \u201cthe situation that develops in the western strategic direction requires us to continuously develop the combat capacities of our forces,\u201d as quoted in a ministry statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shoigu said that since 2016, more than 70 formations and military units, including two divisions and three brigades, were set up in Russia\u2019s Western Military District. Established in 2010, the structure covers 26 entities of the Russian Federation, bordering Norway, Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The minister said that Russian troops in the district have received some 5,000 units of new and overhauled weapons and equipment over the past years, raising the ratio of deployed new gear from 39 to 54 percent. By the end of this year, more than 350 new facilities are to be put into operation in the Western Military District.<\/p>\n\n\n\n New division in eastern Poland<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n Moscow\u2019s defense efforts are shaping Poland\u2019s plans to overhaul the structure of its operational forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Aug. 15, on the occasion of Poland\u2019s Armed Forces Day, Lt. Gen. Rajmund Andrzejczak, the chief of the military\u2019s General Staff, announced plans to set up a fourth division of the operational forces, which is to be located east of the Vistula River, which crosses Poland\u2019s capital Warsaw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “There is no doubt that a fourth division is necessary, we are already carrying out analytical work, and soon we will be able to present specific plans,” Andrzejczak said, as reported by local news agency PAP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Poland\u2019s land forces currently comprise three divisions, with headquarters in Zagan, Szczecin and Elblag. The former two divisions comprise units located in western and northwestern Poland, reminiscence of the times when Poland was part of the Soviet Union-led Warsaw Pact. Creating a fourth division to shift the military\u2019s operational capacities toward the eastern flank will likely represent one of the major challenges in the coming years for Andrzejczak, who was appointed to his post in July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n