Article Posted on : - May 25, 2010

A file photo of the Patriot missile.

WARSAW (BNS): The first battery of US’s Patriot air and missile defense systems has arrived in Poland for deployment.

The surface-to-air missiles arrived at Morąg in north-east Poland on Sunday, a US embassy statement from Warsaw said.

“This is an important day for Poland and the United States, and for the goals and interests we share,” US Ambassador to Poland, Lee Feinstein, said.

Soldiers from the US’ 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery, also known as Rough Riders, will conduct joint training and exercises with their Polish air defence counterparts. Roughly 100 to 150 US soldiers from the 5th Battalion based in Kaiserslautern, Germany will take part in the exercises along with their Polish counterparts, the statement said.

The exercises would be aimed at familiarising Poland’s armed forces with the Patriot system, it said.

The Patriot missiles will be unveiled on May 26, Wednesday, in the presence of top US and Polish officials.

This is the first deployment of the US missile defence systems on the Polish soil after Poland ratified the Supplemental Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) earlier this year.

The agreement paves way for joint training and exercises, deployments of US military personnel, and prospective Ballistic Missile Defense deployments in the European country.