The United States government, in coordination with Lockheed Martin and European allies, has announced that Poland has been selected as the host nation for a European maintenance facility for PAC-3 missiles for the Patriot system. The announcement was made on 27 October at a meeting of NATO's Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD), according to a press release from the US Department of War.
"Delivering to the warfighter, anytime, anywhere, is how we deter our adversaries and strengthen collective defence. By investing national resources in this critical sustainment capability on NATO's eastern flank, the allies are sending a clear message: the alliance is united, takes deterrence seriously, and is ready to back its words with action," says Michael P. Duffey, Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment at the Department of War.
The facility will be responsible for maintenance, repair and overhaul of the missiles within Europe. According to the press release, it will shorten lead times, secure supply chains and raise the readiness of allied air and missile defence, including the ability to rapidly scale up capacity in a crisis. The department states that the facility will be built on transatlantic industrial cooperation, with Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden leading the integration of the critical supply chains.
According to the department, the decision is a step in implementing the defence industrial commitments made under the "NATO 3.0" framework at the Ankara summit in July 2026. It is intended to make it easier for European allies to take primary responsibility for their conventional defence.
Poland's Secretary of State at the Ministry of Defence, Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, who says she was the country's chief negotiator, writes on X that four countries competed for the location and that Poland's application was assessed as the best already at the application stage.
"Poland is a reliable ally and holds an extremely important place on the world's security map," writes Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz on X.
The US Ambassador to Poland, Thomas Rose, writes in a statement on X that Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands also submitted very strong proposals, and that further opportunities will be offered going forward.