“The Dragon 24 exercise demonstrates our readiness to defend the territory of the North Atlantic Alliance”, said Polish President Andrzej Duda during his visit to Korzeniewo, where, together with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, he observed the interaction of NATO troops as part of the Steadfast Defender 24 exercise.
“The Dragon 24 exercise involves 20,000 soldiers, 15,000 soldiers from Poland, 3,500 units of equipment. The purpose of the exercise is to show our capabilities, the capabilities of the Alliance, as countries not only cooperating with each other, acting in the political domain, but able to cooperate in the military domain, in a practical formula”, said the head of the defence ministry, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
The essential element of the Dragon 24 exercise, which took place as part of Steadfast Defender 24, was the crossing of the Polish Army soldiers and allied forces on the Vistula River.
“These types of exercises fulfil NATO’s mission of deterrence and are not directed against anyone. But the context of what is happening in the world today is obvious. It is clear that we must be ready here and now, every day, to fulfil our commitments to our allies. Only the North Atlantic Alliance, as the largest such organisation guaranteeing security in the world, is capable of defending our homeland. Of course, each of our countries must be prepared on its own, but the Alliance strengthens operational and defence capabilities”, said Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz.
During a statement to the media, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Andrzej Duda emphasised that “Poland is ready to fulfil its obligations under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty”.
“I assure President Gitanas Nausėda that Lithuania can count on us. Should the need arise, Polish soldiers will stand shoulder to shoulder with Lithuanian soldiers to defend every inch of North Atlantic Alliance land against hostile attack”, emphasized Andrzej Duda.
Adrian Andrzejewski