A U.S. M1A2 Abrams tank operated by a Polish crew fires during gunnery qualifications at Nowa Deba Training Area, Poland, on Jan. 16, 2024. The first U.S. shipment of M1A2 Abrams tanks to Poland under a 2022 contract recently arrived, Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said Jan. 18, 2025. (Polish armed forces)
Poland has its first batch of the United States’ most modern battle tank, taking delivery of more than two dozen of them amid a broader military buildup in conjunction with its growing role in hosting American personnel.
The initial shipment of 28 M1A2 Abrams tanks arrived at the Polish port of Gdynia over the weekend, Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said in a statement Saturday.
By 2026, Poland is expected to have 250 such tanks as part of a 2022 contract with the U.S. The contract incorporates ammunition and other support vehicles and also includes 116 refurbished M1A1 Abrams tanks, which began arriving in 2023.
For the Polish army, the Abrams tank serves as the centerpiece of a modernization effort that has picked up momentum in the aftermath of Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Patriot missiles, Apache attack helicopters, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and F-35 fighter jets are other major weapons systems that Warsaw has been busy adding to its arsenal.
In addition, Poland is seeking a bigger U.S. military footprint in the country on the heels of the 2023 foundation of Camp Kosciuszko in Poznan.
It’s the Pentagon’s first permanent base there and is the headquarters of U.S. Army Garrison Poland, which has taken on a crucial role in deterring Russian aggression on NATO’s eastern flank.
In recent years, Poland also has increased the size of its own ground forces, which now stand as NATO’s largest in Europe and third-largest overall behind those of the U.S. and Turkey.
