Poland Adapting Civilian Airports for Military Use in Response to Russian Aggression in Ukraine

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stressed the need for more civilian airports to be adapted for military use during a press conference on February 25.

Three years into the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the concept of dual-use airports, serving both civilian and military functions, is gaining momentum. Last week, Maciej Lasek, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, confirmed ongoing talks with the Ministry of National Defense about this adaptation.

Lasek noted, “15 Polish civilian airports are twice as many as we have military airports.” While Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasized that more Polish airports must be adapted for dual use, citing examples like Kraków’s Balice and Warsaw’s Chopin Airport, both of which combine civilian and military functions.

Updates include expansions at Rzeszów airport, preparatory work in Kraków, and new cargo hubs with railway connections and fuel supplies in Katowice and Wrocław.

Szczecin airport is also set for dual-use development, improving both passenger services and emergency responses.

The Minister also mentioned a newly formed team focused on infrastructure projects like the Red Road for the port of Gdynia and the Gdańsk airport, with efforts to make these investments operational quickly.

Poland, positioned on NATO’s eastern flank, has been bolstering its defense capabilities since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Prime Minister Donald Tusk has called for greater defense spending across NATO, suggesting that European nations should match Poland’s level to strengthen U.S.-European relations. Although NATO’s current defense target is 2% of GDP, discussions are underway to increase this to 3%.

Earlier, Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, stated that Russia views itself as an empire rather than a federation, with ambitions that may extend beyond Ukraine.