U.S.-Poland pact to bolster forces and boost role in NATO

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U.S.-Poland pact to bolster forces and boost role in NATO
By Mark Abramson, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, February 22, 2009

The U.S. and Polish militaries have signed an agreement that is intended to bolster Poland’s special forces and enhance how it operates within the NATO military command structure.

The deal was signed Thursday by U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and his Polish counterpart, Defense Minister Bogdan Klich, according to a press release from the American Forces Press Service, part of the U.S. Department of Defense.

The document, signed in Krakow, Poland, is the only official memorandum of understanding the U.S. Special Operations Command has. The command, however, has partnerships with its counterparts from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Jordan.

"We are pretty proactive with Poland and we have been for many years," said Army Maj. Jim Gregory, a command spokesman. "Poland has been active in supporting multinational operations with us."

An example of that proactive approach is a commitment by the Special Operations commander, Adm. Eric Olson, to helping the Poles develop a self-sufficient headquarters for their special operations command, Gregory said.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=60886