German Armed Forces have been protecting the eastern Polish Jasionka airfield near Rzeszów — the entry point for over 90% of all weapons sent to Ukraine — from potential russian long-range attacks since early 2025.
To fulfill this mission, Germany deployed two Patriot batteries, but plans to keep them there only until the end of 2025. After that, another country will have to take over this responsibility, said Bundeswehr Major General Mike Keller, deputy commander of NATO's Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU), according to Europäische Sicherheit & Technik
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Germany has already doubled the mission's duration before, as Defense Minister Boris Pistorius initially announced that the Patriots would be stationed in Poland for only six months, officially starting this Februar.
For context, when the Rzeszów logistics hub supporting Ukraine was set up in Poland in 2022, its protection was provided by the US Army, which also deployed Patriot batteries there. Germany replaced the Americans when they left in April 2025.
Germany is the largest European NATO operator of Patriot systems, officially fielding nine batteries after delivering three to Ukraine. This allowed the Bundeswehr to dedicate systems for the Polish mission. However, its available inventory is shrinking, as more Patriots are planned for transfer to Ukraine. Of the current nine, only six are operational — two are leased to Poland, and another one is either under maintenance or used for training.
Finding a successor to Germany in this role is not straightforward. Poland could step in with its two Patriots and two leased systems, but Warsaw may insist on continued allied contributions for the security of an airfield used collectively by NATO.
In Europe, besides Ukraine, no other country operates a sufficient number of PAC-3 Patriots to fully take over. A likely solution could be deploying French and/or Italian SAMP/T systems instead. In any case, the key factor in Rzeszów's defense is less the air-defense system itself and more the fact that it is on NATO territory, making any attack a trigger for the Alliance's Article 5 response.
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