33rd Air Base
The 33rd Air Base (Polish: 33. Baza Lotnicza) is a Polish Air Force base, located near Powidz. The base functions within the structure of the Polish Air Force and is part of the three wings of Powidz air transport command. It was officially constituted on 1 January 2000 as the 21st airbase, replacing the disbanded 7th Bomber-Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment, then redesignated to its current name on 1 January 2001.[1]
33rd Air Base | |||||||||
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33. Baza Lotnicza | |||||||||
| Near Powidz, Słupca County in Poland | |||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||
| Owner | Ministry of Defence | ||||||||
| Operator | Polish Air Force | ||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||
| Built | 2010 | ||||||||
| In use | 1 July 2010 – present | ||||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||||
| Current commander | Colonel Miroslaw Łusiarczyk | ||||||||
| Garrison | 14th Airlift Squadron | ||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||
| Identifiers | ICAO: EPPW | ||||||||
| Elevation | 267 feet (81 m) AMSL | ||||||||
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From the summer of 2019, the base will be the site of a depot and storage site for US Army combat vehicles in Poland. It will be mostly funded by NATO’s NATO Security Investment Program, and cost around US$210m, with the USA’s component capped at around 20-25%. The US Army Corps of Engineers has made an industry solicitation in 2018 requesting tree-cutting services for 38 hectares (94 acres) around the base. Two US investments could be sacrificed to pay for President Trump’s border wall with Mexico: A bulk fuel storage facility at US$21m, and a “rail extension and railhead” project budgeted at US$14m.[2]
References
- Wroński, Paweł (23 August 2012), "Hercules na ratunek" [Hercules to the rescue], Gazeta Wyborcza (in Polish), Warszawa: Agora (5), ISSN 0860-908X
- NATO foots bill for massive US combat depot in Poland, Sebastian Sprenger, Defense News, 2019-03-29