US sends Patriot missiles, soldiers to Poland to train the NATO ally’s military
By APMonday, May 24, 2010
US deploys missiles to Poland to train NATO ally
WARSAW, Poland — A U.S. official says scores of American soldiers and a battery of Patriot missiles have arrived in Poland for the training of the Polish military for two years.
The mission contains the largest deployment of U.S. forces to Poland, which once was behind the Iron Curtain but today is a member of NATO.
U.S. Embassy spokesman Andrew Paul said Monday that the battery arrived the day before at a base in Morag, in northern Poland.
Morag is 37 miles (60 kilometers) from the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, and Moscow has expressed anger at having U.S. missiles so close to its territory.
Paul said the missiles will be rotated in and out of Poland over the next two years for training in their use. Each rotation will be accompanied by 100 to 150 U.S. soldiers.
