Letter to Hon. Lloyd J. Austin III, Secretary of Defense, Hon. Anthony Blinken, Secretary of State - Ryan, Joyce Applaud Administration's Decision to Supply Abrams Tanks to Poland Following Their Urging

Letter

Dear Secretary Austin and Secretary Blinken:

With the recent massing of over 100,000 Russian troops on the Ukrainian border, it remains imperative that we provide our NATO allies with the necessary materials to counter any further aggression or possible incursions. As one of our key partners in the region, Poland requires additional assets to provide critical deterrent capabilities.

As a productive member of the NATO Alliance, Poland represents the Eastern Flank in protecting U.S. national security from continued Russian antagonism.

We implore your immediate intervention in the year-long delay of the Foreign Military Sale of 250 M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams tanks and the expeditious transfer to further fortify the region. Providing Poland with the M1A2 maximizes our multi-national battlegroups' lethality by providing superior precision fires and additive maneuver and combat capabilities. The systems allows for increased interoperability with U.S. forces, unifying efforts amongst our NATO coalition.

Congress requested that the Department of Defense support this FMS acquisition on multiple occasions over the past year to no avail. In this time of crisis, the criticality of this transfer has grown increasingly more essential, signaling a demand beyond layers of bureaucratic red tape.

As a bipartisan delegation, we urge you to move forward in securing this transfer. The FY22 NDAA included strong, bipartisan language praising the FMS sale, "The Committee approves of Poland's recent decision to purchase 250 of the most modern versions of the U.S. Abrams main battle tank to increase the capability of its armored forces. This will enhance NATO's ability to deter Russian aggression on its Eastern flank and the Committee encourages the Administration to facilitate this foreign military sale as soon as possible."

Supplying Poland with the Abrams platform allows for the replacement of Soviet-era T-72 and PT-91 inventory, ushering in modernized, American-crafted tracked vehicles. As such, this sale bolsters the U.S. industrial base while delivering a strong signal to Russia, demonstrating our commitment to NATO allies.

Given these facts, we urge you both to take whatever actions are necessary to expedite the Congressional Notification process so that we as a nation can begin providing tanks to Poland by the end of Calendar Year 2022.

Further, consistent with language contained in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, we ask that you provide an update to the defense and foreign relations committees of the House and Senate on the status of Poland's request for Abrams tanks as soon as possible and no later than 31 January 2022.

We must move to arm our NATO partners without delay. Thank you for your understanding and support in seeking resolution at such an urgent time.

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