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Poland Arms Imports
Beginning in 1989, long-term defense contracts with the
Soviet Union and East Germany were broken unexpectedly,
resulting
in shortages of crucial components and materials. From
1990
onwards, the Soviet Union simply refused to supply some
spare
parts and lubricants not available in Poland, while
raising the
price of others to world market levels. The withdrawal of
Soviet
forces removed nuclear warheads from Scud and other Warsaw
Pact
missile batteries, leaving the Poles to locate
conventional
warheads elsewhere to fit their disarmed missiles and
launchers.
Naval coproduction contracts with East Germany ended with
German
reunification in 1990, leaving Poland with empty hulls and
ships
lacking armaments.
Such situations caused planners to consider importing
Western
military equipment. This solution would move the Polish
Army
toward its long-range goal of compatibility with NATO
doctrine
and armaments. Three major obstacles confronted such a
policy,
however. The introduction of Western technology would
create a
confused, hybrid system; sale of advanced technology by
Western
nations to a former Warsaw Pact member often was blocked
by
export restrictions of the Coordinating Committee for
Multilateral Export Controls
(CoCom--see Glossary);
and the
Polish defense budget simply lacked sufficient funds to
buy advanced Western hardware.
Data as of October 1992
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