GRODNO, 20 October (BelTA) - Military infrastructure on the territory of neighboring states is growing at a rapid pace, Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said as he met with the staff of Grodno Azot and ideologists of Grodno organizations to brief them on ongoing military and political developments in Belarus and abroad, BelTA has learned.
"Military infrastructure on the territory of neighboring states is growing at an accelerated pace in order to host more military formations of the joint armed forces of NATO. Modernization of most airfields in Poland and the Baltic countries is almost complete, making it possible to accommodate up to 200 combat aircraft. Ports are being rapidly modernized for NATO landing ships, forward bridgeheads are being created for the early redirection of equipment and materiel of the U.S. Armed Forces," Viktor Khrenin said.
"Training centers and training grounds in Poland, Lithuania and Latvia are being reconstructed to support the NATO military contingents. New modular mobile camps are being built at an accelerated pace to accommodate several thousand troops. Today they have created an infrastructure for rapid movement of continental U.S. troops, up to a division and a squadron of combat aviation. That is more than 20,000 people."
"Getting the U.S. missile defense base in Poland ready for action can significantly disrupt the existing balance of power in the region. It can use offensive missile weapons that will cover the entire territory of Belarus and most of the territory of Russia," the defense minister said.
Viktor Khrenin added that the neighboring states are militarizing at an accelerated pace, first of all, Poland. “Its political course indicates Warsaw's preparation for war, not a defensive war by any means. They began training not just one, as it is claimed, but two additional mechanized divisions of the ground forces. An additional division will also be deployed in the eastern part of the country near the city of Bialystok. Poland is also changing the structure of its territorial defense forces. Ten battalions of territorial troops will be sent to the border with the Republic of Belarus," he said.
