Poland only recently announced plans to invest around €1.6 billion in infrastructure around the Port of Gdynia. Now the Ministry of Defence has presented further measures.
The strategy paper “Pact for the Security of Poland – Central Pomerania” lists around a thousand investment projects to adapt ports, airports and transport infrastructure in the north of the country to the requirements of the military.
As far as the maritime sector is concerned, the pact includes investments in the four ports of Gdynia, Świnoujście, Ustka and Kołobrzeg. Among other things, the so-called “Red Road” is to be built in Gdynia to speed up the transportation of troops across the Baltic Sea to the interior of the country.
The expansion of a logistics center for the navy is planned in the port of Ustka. Large ships will also be able to land there in future. The seaport of Ustka will be directly connected to Bydgoszcz via the so-called “Via Pomerania”. The city is an important NATO location and a major center of the country’s defense and logistics industry.
Investments necessary for Poland’s national defense
According to Maciej Samsonowicz, advisor to the Polish Minister of Defense, the pact primarily includes investments that are necessary for reasons of national defense. In the event of a crisis, they should help the allied countries to move equipment quickly and efficiently. This involves the expansion of roads, railroad lines and seaports.
Samsonowicz pointed out that these investments will have a significant impact on the development of the regions in peacetime, but also emphasized that all projects were decided by the military with the involvement of the local authorities.
Ports as an element of the defense system
According to the authors of the report, there is a particular need to transform civilian seaports and airports into elements of the defence system and equip them with anti-drone systems, standardize security procedures and prepare exercise documentation to enable cooperation with the military in crisis situations.
The funds are already available for some of the approximately one thousand investments. For the rest, the financial resources are to be made available in the coming national budgets. The aim is to implement the measures summarized in the pact by 2031.
The importance of such preparations became clear during the night of 9 to 10 September, when more than 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace. Allied air forces, including Dutch F-35s, intercepted part of them.
