Norway has deployed the NASAMS air defense system in Poland to protect the logistics center of international military assistance to Ukraine.

The General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces announced this on Thursday, December 19.

F-35A multi-role fighters are also involved in the defense of Polish airspace.

The NATO-led mission is expected to last until Easter.

Along with combat aircraft and NASAMS air defense systems, 100 Norwegian troops will be deployed in Rzeszow, Poland.

The Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport in Poland is a key transit hub for foreign military aid for the Ukrainian Defense Forces. 90% of Western aid to Ukraine passes through this hub.

In late November, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that Norway had agreed to help protect that logistics center.

This decision was made within the framework of North Atlantic Alliance cooperation amid growing security risks.

Poland’s Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport is located less than 100 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. After Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, it also became a major stopover point for foreign officials visiting Ukraine.

Also last month, the German Defense Ministry proposed that NATO deploy the German Patriot air defense system in Poland.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius noted that such a step should’ve helped protect the logistics center located in Poland, which was essential for the delivery of military aid to Ukraine.

“In this way, we will protect the logistics hub in Poland, which is central to the delivery of materials to Ukraine. In this way, we ensure the supply of vehicles, weapons and ammunition that Ukraine urgently needs to defend itself against brutal Russian attacks that violate international law,” the German minister said.