Poland to adapt all civilian airports for dual-military use

All civilian airports in Poland must be modernized and adapted for potential use by the country's military, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Feb. 25.

In comments reported by Polish Radio, Kosiniak-Kamysz said such adaptations would allow them to be used as transport hubs, evacuation points, cargo hubs, or aid points in the event of an emergency.

"Every airport must be adapted and in some way adapted to the possibility of cooperating and working with the military," he said.

Kosiniak-Kamysz said work was already underway at some major Polish airports — a "cargo hub, together with a railway siding, with fuel supplies" are being built at both Katowice and Wroclaw, and "preparatory processes" are underway at Krakow.

Situated on NATO's eastern flank, Poland has taken several steps to boost its military since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk advocated for increased defense spending across NATO on Jan. 15, arguing that if all European members matched Poland’s spending, NATO’s defense budget would be ten times that of Russia’s.

"Other countries should not pay 1.5 percent of their GDP for defense — this is not enough," he said, emphasizing that robust European defense contributions could help maintain friendly U.S.-European relations.

On Jan. 7, Trump called for NATO’s spending target to rise to 5% of GDP, significantly higher than the current 2% goal.

"If all European countries start taking their obligations in NATO seriously, I am sure America will be happy to cooperate with us," Tusk added.

While the 5% suggestion has faced resistance, some NATO members are reportedly open to a more modest increase, potentially to 3% of GDP, Reuters reported on Jan. 10.