Next year, German soldiers will come to Poland to aid build the “Tarchy East”, or fortifications on the north-eastern border of the country. respective twelve military engineers from the Bundeswehr will be active in the mission. They will support Polish troops at the border with Kaliningrad and Belarus.
Last week Deputy Minister of Defence Paweł Zalewski met with Deputy Head of the German MON Nils Schmid 22nd Tactical Aviation Base in Malbork. A fewer days earlier, 4 Eurofighter Typhoon fighters in the Luftwaffe colours arrived there, which will be performing tasks by March 2026 as part of the NATO's NATO Air Police Mission. Zalewski announced that German soldiers of engineering troops will be coming to Poland soon, who will join the implementation of the “Tarcza East” programme. – Polish-German cooperation is absolutely crucial within NATO. We have a common work for the east flank and we will work together in this regard," stressed the Deputy Minister.
The German Ministry of Defence in consequence to the questions of the “Bild” paper announced that respective twelve military engineers of the Bundeswehr would work in the Polish border with Kaliningrad and Belarus. Their main task will be to build trenches, anti-tank barriers or stack barbed wire. The German mission will begin in the second 4th of 2026 (most likely in April) and according to the current plans should proceed until the end of 2027.
"Putin's aggressive behaviour shows us that we cannot afford to weaken our efforts to strengthen defence readiness. We defend the east flank from far north to the Black Sea," Nils Schmid said during a fresh visit to Romania, where German pilots are now besides serving. In a akin tone, the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz late spoke, who believes that Europe must prepare for a increasing threat from Russia without US support.
“The Tartar East” is the largest operation since the Second planet War to strengthen the east border of Poland. Its construction was planned for 2024–2028. The “Tarcza” is to deter possible aggressors, defend soldiers and civilians, show an allied readiness to defend borders. The fortification belt will cover the full dimension of the northern and east borders of Poland, but it is not expected to look the same everywhere. Depending on natural conditions and the site's sculpture may include fortifications, logistics centers, roads and bridges or another solutions. The Tarcza East is not only a belt of fortifications, dams and another blockades, but besides a comprehensive strategy covering issues of safety of communication, recognition, road infrastructure, etc.
