Sweden will deploy a Patriot air defense system and around 100 military personnel to Poland to protect a NATO logistics hub supporting Ukraine, the Swedish Armed Forces said on Tuesday, Anadolu Agency reports.
The deployment will safeguard the hub in Rzeszow against drones and missiles, taking over a mission currently carried out by the Netherlands.
“This is the most complex operation that Sweden has undertaken as a NATO ally,” said Sofia Westermark, commander of Sweden’s Air Defense Regiment.
The government-approved operation is scheduled to begin Dec. 1 and could last up to seven months, depending on decisions by the next government, according to public broadcaster SVT.
“There is a threat to this location both from the ground and from the air, and as a NATO ally, we are participating with an air defense system to protect against drones and missiles,” Westermark said.
According to SVT, authorities assess that Russia could seek to disrupt operations at the hub, which handles approximately 18,000 tons of equipment each month.
“This location is extremely important, there are approximately 18,000 tons of equipment that flow through this logistics hub every month and for Ukraine it is important, and therefore it is important for us in NATO,” Westermark said.
Asked how the deployment would affect Sweden’s domestic air defenses, she acknowledged that some military equipment would be stationed abroad.
“Of course, it affects that part of our force is materially in another location, but we are NATO and right now we defend NATO best by solving this mission in Poland,” she said.
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