Polish defense industry facing a breakthrough? New president has clearly defined his priorities

• - Polish companies should benefit from the modernization of the army. However, we knew that our arms industry would not provide everything we need - says Marcin Ociepa.
• - The offset for the F-35 was very expensive and no Polish plants were able to absorb the technology from this offset on a scale that would make it profitable - he adds.
• - We need to support all activities that will increase Poland's defense potential. Enterprises such as Huta Częstochowa need to be saved, restructured, and not sold - our interlocutor sums up.

What can we expect from the new president in terms of the country's defense and the condition of the defense industry?

- President Karol Nawrocki announced a reference to the achievements of the United Right government, but with even greater verve and determination.

During our rule, we had to make up for the backlog in modernization caused by the neglect of our predecessors. Then the war broke out beyond our eastern border and here again the need for quick purchases appeared.

We were very keen for Polish companies to benefit from this. However, we knew that the Polish arms industry was not able to supply everything we needed . So, on the one hand, we started buying what we could in Poland, and on the other hand, we imported the necessary equipment from abroad.

It is necessary to develop such skills in Polish companies to be self-sufficient

Here we have an example of Krab gun-howitzers . Polish industry was able to provide much less of them than we needed. We declared that we would buy every Krab produced by Polish industry, but we also have to look for other suppliers of such weapons.

This was a short-term policy. In the medium term, the goal was to develop capabilities in Polish companies that would allow us to become self-sufficient.

We need to strive for self-sufficiency in as many areas as possible, for example in drone production.

How can one achieve this self-sufficiency?

- One of the methods we have used is to conduct foreign contracts in such a way as to link them with Polish industry. In this respect , the most well-known word in Poland is of course offset, but it is a bit overrated.

In this case, you need to choose solutions that are best for Poland, not just those that look best in the media.

An example would be the offset on the F-35 , which was simply very expensive and no Polish plants were able to absorb the technology from this offset on a scale that would make it profitable. So why pay many billions more for the F-35 because of an offset that we are not able to absorb?

So what do you think should be done?

- Our approach is best reflected in the purchase of K2 tanks in South Korea. We conducted talks in such a way as to buy Korean tanks, but also to be able to produce the K2 PL version in Poland and sell it to other countries.

It was also important to create the potential to service tanks from other countries in the region in Poland, if they also purchase this equipment.

The president will focus on innovation, research and development

We also have assurances from President Nawrocki that he will want to focus very strongly on research and development, innovation and breakthrough technologies.

While working at the Ministry of National Defense, I created the innovation department, and the first structures responsible for space technologies were created. Thanks to this, we were able to finalize the contract for the first national observation satellite.

Prime Minister Tusk said that he was preparing for a "difficult cooperation". Can the president support the government in such moves as were made in the case of Huta Częstochowa , which the Ministry of National Defense decided to take over in order to ensure the certainty of supplies of sheet metal in a quality that meets the needs of the defense industry?

- We need to support all activities that will increase Poland's defense potential. Such companies need to be saved, restructured, and not sold.

In the case of Huta Częstochowa, however, a major problem in ensuring its long-term profitability is the regulatory environment of the steel industry – electricity prices higher than in many other EU countries, high costs resulting from climate regulations such as the ETS.

EU energy and climate regulations need to be reformed

In this case, the government's will is needed to renegotiate some of the EU restrictions. We need to reform EU regulations on energy and climate protection costs, because the current ones are killing our industry. Not only Polish, but EU in general.

The European Union has a problem with backtracking on its own ideas. We were counting on a correction after the coronavirus pandemic, but it did not happen. Do you currently see the willingness of EU officials to make changes?

- In this respect, I do not believe in the European Union understood in the form of the European Commission, but I believe in the Union as a collection of states, nations that in recent months have been giving politicians increasingly stronger signals that they expect changes.

This is evidenced by the growing position of right-wing and centre-right parties in a growing group of European countries. Support for their programmes should be a clear sign for EU officials.