The missile firing was part of Iron Defender, a series of exercises with NATO forces being held between now and the end of September. The exercise is in direct response to the Russian-Belarusian Zapad 2025 exercise, which ended the same day and took place very close to Poland’s eastern border.

NATO Cooperation and Defense Posture
When speaking at the exercise, Tusk emphasized the importance of showing NATO’s defense posture in the current challenging security environment. He said that there are tens of thousands of troops involved in Iron Defender, with Tuesday’s operations involving 18,000 soldiers. The training is defensive and a direct response to aggressive behavior across the border, according to Tusk.

Strengthening Military Capabilities for Poland
Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that this exercise was historically significant since no U.S. made Patriot system was operated in Poland until now. The patriot missile batteries were purchased under the Vistula air-defense program, which began in 2018, aimed at enhancing Poland’s military capabilities.

The first phase of the agreement, worth roughly $4.75 billion, covered the Patriot battery deliveries that happened in December of 2022. In June of 2023, authorities approved a larger second phase valued at around $15 billion that would contain six additional launchers, radar systems, and a large inventory of missiles. The actual battery deliveries are expected to begin next year and continue into 2029.