A soldier stands in front of Patriot surface-to-air missile systems during a military exercise at Warsaw Babice Airport, Poland on Feb. 7.
Photographer: Janek Skarzynski/AFP/Getty Images
The Post-Cold War Era Is Gone. A New Arms Race Has Arrived
Countries around the world are drawing lessons from Europe’s first high-intensity war since 1945, reassessing everything from ammunition stocks to supply lines.
Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, the government in neighboring Poland passed a law to more than double the size of its military, and went shopping for weapons.
With President Vladimir Putin’s war heading into its second year, the Polish expansion plan has become jaw dropping in scale. It includes close to 500 HIMARS or equivalent long-range multiple launch rocket systems, just 20 of which allowed Ukraine to inflict serious damage on Moscow’s military machine.