Recent ODC Activities 2007 

Office of Defense Cooperation Speaks with Students at the Lodz Academy of International Studies

20 March 2007

Lodz Academy American Club with LTC Ray Wojcik.  From left to right: Marek Sempach; Elżbieta Hodyr; Agnieszka Błachaniec; Ewelina Piotrowska; Monika Drzewiecka; Katarzyna Buczek; Karolina Lemańska; LTC Ray Wojcik (more photos)

Lieutenant Colonel Ray Wojcik, Army Affairs Officer of U.S. Embassy Warsaw’s Office of Defense Cooperation, spoke about U.S. Security Assistance Programs and U.S. support to Poland for operations in Afghanistan to a group of more than 100 students at the Lodz Academy of International Studies on March 6.  The briefing covered a broad range of security assistance topics and drew a dynamic exchange between the briefer and the audience.  LTC Wojcik explained how U.S. security assistance takes advantage of several funding sources and programs to allow for a broad range of training opportunities for Poland.  Some of the assistance includes the approximate $2 million per year grant in International Military Education Training (IMET) funds; Counter Terrorism Fellowship Program (CTFP) and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) funding.  He explained the importance of “training soldiers” as the “cornerstone” to any military transformation.  He discussed several security assistance equipment programs such as the F-16 program, the HMMWV program, and the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle program, which are also helping to transform the Polish military.  Finally, he detailed how the U.S. is providing important assistance to Poland for the Afghanistan mission, providing transportation, training and material assistance to the Polish military.

• Office of Defense Cooperation