Another Joint Combat Group

Polish and German ministers of national defense decided to create a joint combat group at their meeting in Warsaw May 21, 2008. "A joint combat group within the Weimar Triangle [comprising Germany, Poland and France] which would operate within the NATO framework," said Franz Josef Jung, German minister of national defense, who at the same time supported Poland's bid for locating a NATO communications battalion on its soil.

"I thanked [the German side] for support that will undoubtedly help us. The battalion would be the second NATO unit in Poland after the training center in Bydgoszcz," said Polish Defense Minister Bogdan Klich, adding that it was vital that NATO infrastructure is evenly located within the territories of its members.

A bone of contention between the two sides remains Ukraine's NATO bid, which Germany opposes and Poland supports. "I tried to persuade our partners to change their mind because NATO is not only a guarantee of security but also democracy," emphasized Klich. Germany opposed immediate NATO expansion into Ukraine and Georgia at the Bucharest summit in April for fear of provoking Moscow, though the NATO leadership indicated that the matter will be looked at again later this year.