Office of Defense Cooperation speaks with students at the Lodz Academy of International Studies

On 6 March, Lieutenant Colonel Ray Wojcik, Army Affairs Officer, Office of Defense Cooperation spoke about U.S. Security Assistance Programs and U.S. support to Poland for operations in Afghanistan.  More than one hundred students listened to a briefing covering a broad range of U.S. Security Assistance topics which drew great interest and a dynamic exchange between briefer and 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 include the approximate $2M per year grant in International Military Education Training (IMET) funds; Counter Terrorism Fellowship Program (CTFP) and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) funding means.  He explained the importance of “training soldiers” as the “cornerstone” to any military transformation.  He discussed several Security Assistance equipment programs like the F-16 program, HMMWV program, and 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.