MoD says Poland could adopt US missile-defence system in 2019

Poland's Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz said that the American missile-defence system, Patriot, could be made available to Warsaw as of 2019. Speaking in a radio interview, Macierewicz was asked when the Patriot system -- which Washington recently agreed to sell to Warsaw -- "will start to protect Poland". "At the MoD, we are in the process of making final, not even negotiations, but decisions as to which of the American licences, proposals will be accepted by Poland", the official replied. According to the defence minister, during talks in Washington in early October, it was suggested that "one of the configurations which they had proposed would be available from 2019". "At the same time", he added, "we are completing negotiations with domestic contractors about a short-range anti-missile shield codenamed Narew, which will be ready within 24 months of the signing of the contract, so at a very similar date".