Poland is considering acquiring about 250 battle-tested Stryker armored fighting vehicles from the United States for a symbolic $1, as the Polish Army undergoes its largest expansion in decades.
The opportunity comes as the US restructures and scales back its military presence in Europe, freeing up hundreds of Strykers for potential transfer.
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Polish Minister of Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said last week that Washington had proposed handing the vehicles to Poland rather than shipping them back to the United States.
Washington’s Excess Defense Articles (EDA) program allows surplus US military equipment to be given to allies at little or no cost.
Polish state news agency PAP reported on Monday that the defense ministry is analyzing the proposal and has instructed the Polish Armed Forces to inspect the vehicles’ technical condition and assess their suitability for training and operational use.
Officials told PAP that the plan would not interfere with existing procurement plans. According to the ministry, a rapid transfer of Strykers could help the armed forces replenish their equipment more quickly and at a lower cost than new purchases.
What Strykers offer
The eight-wheeled Strykers, which can accommodate a two-man crew and nine infantry soldiers, have been used by the US Army for two decades across multiple theatres, including Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Their strength lies in mobility, modular design and the ability to deploy quickly across long distances by air or road. Each vehicle can be transported by a C-130 aircraft, enabling rapid movement of troops and equipment.
Several hundred Strykers have also been supplied to Ukrainian forces since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Ukrainian troops have used them for transport, reconnaissance and casualty evacuation in high-intensity fighting.
The armored vehicle comes in many versions. It is not yet known which models would be offered to Poland under the proposed transfer.
‘The Polish Army continues to grow’
The news has stirred controversy among Polish military experts who claim that introducing Strykers—whose operational capabilities are comparable to Polish-made KTO Rosomak armored personnel carriers—could undermine the development of domestically produced armored vehicles.
However, the establishment of two new divisions in the Polish Armed Forces, both of which will include motorized brigades, has created a demand for combat vehicles which the current orders for Polish-manufactured equipment cannot satisfy.
Speaking to public broadcaster Polish Radio last week, Kosiniak-Kamysz said that the US proposal represents a sign of trust in Poland as a close ally.
“The Polish Army continues to grow, new units are being formed, and the number of soldiers is increasin —which means there is a growing demand for equipment and weapons,” he said.
Amid rising security threats from Russia after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Poland, which borders the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, has undertaken one of the fastest military buildups in Europe.
Warsaw is the highest defense spender in NATO relative to its GDP, a trait that has repeatedly earned it praise from Washington.