The Netherlands will send 4 F-35s with crews to Poland. From September to December 2025 they will stand defender of the Polish sky. This is foreseen by the agreement signed present in Warsaw between the Ministry of Defence of Poland and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. “This is an expression of solidarity and work for the full NATO”, concluded Władysław Kosiniak-Kamish, Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the MON.
The air to air session performed during the presence of F-35 aircraft from the Netherlands in Poland, which operate in the Polish sky in support of the Enhanced Air Police mission, 2023.
– We have signed an agreement that brings our countries closer to security,” said Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Deputy Minister of National Defence at the Ministry of Defence of Poland and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, who signed an agreement to strengthen defence cooperation between the Ministry of Defence of Poland and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The paper provides for the exchange of experience between both countries in the usage of state-of-the-art military equipment – F-35 aircraft, Apache helicopters Patriot batteries, as well as joint military exercises.
The head of the Polish MON added that the Dutch armed forces were invited to participate in the “Iron Defender” exercise, which will take place at the same time as Russian maneuvers ‘Zapad ’25’ (scheduled for September). “This is our consequence to the threats on the east flank of the Alliance,” Kosiniak-Kamish noted. 1 of the most crucial points of the agreement envisages sending the Dutch F-35 along with crews from the protection of the Polish airspace and the sky on the Baltic Sea from 1 September to 1 December of this year. "This is support for the protection of the east flank of NATO and expression of solidarity and work for the full Alliance," said the Deputy Prime Minister.
"Memorandum on the Agreement" between the Ministry of National Defence of Poland and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, 2025.
According to Ruben Brekelmans, the Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, it is about sending 4 F-35 aircraft to Poland. “We will usage experience from Estonia, where we besides conducted a akin mission,” said the head of the Dutch MON. For safety reasons, however, he did not give the name of the base in which the Dutch machines will be stationed in our country.
– I'm happy with the signed memorandum. It means that our cooperation in defence can be even wider and deeper, e.g. erstwhile it comes to military exercises and the improvement of the defence industry," said Brekelmans.
Ministers besides discussed cooperation in the cyber and artificial intelligence sphere, and exchanged experience with the acquisition of submarines. – We request this very much to choose well Eagle, which we will sign this year – explained Kosiniak-Kamish. Another subject of discussion was the issue of facilitating military mobility in Europe. “It is crucial to remove all bureaucratic barriers to the movement of allied troops so that we can aid ourselves, if necessary”, said the Polish minister.
"Memorandum on the Agreement" between the Ministry of National Defence of Poland and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, 2025.
“Poland is now a pillar in terms of investments and actions for our common security,” Brekelmans pointed out. As he stressed, thanks to the example of our country, another NATO countries can see that 5% of GDP can be spent on defence. The Dutch politician mentioned the late completed Polish leadership in the EU Council, during which a number of crucial actions were taken, including on deregulation or increased military production in Europe.
During his visit to Poland, Minister Brekelmans will visit the 1st Warsaw Armored Brigade in Wesoła and will become acquainted with the construction of the Shield of the East and Polish experience in border protection.
According to the MON, the Memorandum of knowing signed present meets the current safety requirements and the scale of cooperation between the 2 countries. It besides enables the improvement of political-military contacts between Poland and the Netherlands at both ministerial level and at the level of military units. The paper replaced the existing agreement between the heads of defence departments of Poland and the Netherlands concluded in 1993.
