Poland Selected to Host Historic PAC-3 Missile Maintenance Facility, Strengthening Allied Burden-Sharing and Transatlantic Security

Oct. 27, 2026 |

Today, on the margins of the NATO Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD) meeting, the United States Government, in coordination with Lockheed Martin and European Allies, announced the selection of the Republic of Poland as the host nation for the European Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Maintenance Facility (MMF). This new facility will be underpinned by robust, transatlantic industrial cooperation, with critical supply chain integration led by Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden.

"Delivering for warfighters—anytime, anywhere—is how we deter our adversaries and strengthen collective defense," said Michael P. Duffey, Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment. "Today's announcement puts partnership into action. By investing national resources to establish this critical sustainment capability on NATO's Eastern Front, Allies are sending a clear message: the Alliance is united, serious about deterrence, and ready to back our words with action."

This milestone directly advances the historic defense industrial commitments made at the Ankara Summit in July 2026 under the "NATO 3.0" framework, accelerating regional resilience and further enabling European Allies to undertake primary responsibility for their own conventional defense.

By establishing regional maintenance, repair, and overhaul capabilities directly within the European theater, the MMF will dramatically shorten turnaround times and further secure critical supply lines. The regional hub will significantly enhance operational readiness across Allied air and missile defense forces, ensuring rapid surge capacity during crisis and reinforcing credible collective deterrence along NATO's Eastern Front.

At its core, this initiative delivers directly to the frontline warfighter. Fusing Allied investment with world-class American defense technology directly translates transatlantic industrial capacity into combat power — keeping launchers loaded, sustaining critical operations, and ensuring NATO Allies are prepared to fight tonight.

Transcom Commander Draws Connection Between Hope, Lethality

Oct. 27, 2026 | By Matthew Olay, Pentagon News |

During his keynote remarks at U.S. Transportation Command's fall meeting in Grapevine, Texas, yesterday, Transcom's commander discussed how the concepts of hope and lethality are tied together as they relate to the world of military logistics. 

Air Force Gen. Randall Reed explained that, as he looked at how Transcom could improve and ensure the joint force is more lethal and agile, he realized hope is extremely useful for the warfighter because it gets to the root cause of any given problem. 

"Hope is an expression of uncertainty, and that identifies a gap that needs to be filled," he said. "We, as logisticians, deal with uncertainty all the time. And we organize, train and equip ourselves to fill in that gap and replace uncertainty with certainty. And when we do that, we guarantee success." 

Reed went on to explain that hope and lethality can coexist because they both stem from the same pressure. 

"The same operational pressure that creates uncertainty, driving somebody to hope, is the same operational pressure that calls for potentially the use of lethality, or at least being ready to execute that lethality," he said. 

Reed added that, once it's understood how two concepts, such as hope and lethality, can coexist and how they can be used in a practical way, "the magic happens." 

Reed said his understanding of this was more clearly illustrated by observing the logistical efforts that went into the opening days of Operation Epic Fury. 

He noted that while many people in and around the Arabian Gulf were doing all they could to run away from the source of the conflict, the military logistics enterprise was running toward it. 

"We run to the sound of guns, and we weren't just running to the sound of guns because the joint force needed us there," Reed said. "We also had our own civilians — our own citizens — and citizens from around the world who needed help to get out." 

He added that Transcom provided life-saving care to the region quickly, along with food and other essentials, while also solidifying relationships with friends, allies and partners. 

Reed explained that, by understanding this duality of lethality and hope, Transcom and industry could plan in the days leading up to Operation Epic Fury, ensuring the combatant command could make a difference. 

"And so, it's no longer foreign to me as to how these two things can coexist, and why we as practitioners can benefit from redefining this idea of hope equating to uncertainty, and then really working hard to eliminate the uncertainty to come up with solutions," he said. 

The fall meeting is an annual four-day, cosponsored event that began in 2013 to provide the government and industry partners with the opportunity to identify and solve logistics and transportation challenges, learn about innovative technologies, develop best practices, and build professional and personal relationships.

Army Battery Sharpens Skills During Nighttime Reload Training

Oct. 27, 2026 | By Army Capt. Russell Shirley-Jones, 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade |

Soldiers assigned to Delta Battery, 1st Battalion, 62nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, conducted nighttime MIM-104 Patriot missile system reload training at Fort Hood, Texas, Oct. 23, as part of the battalion's mission readiness exercise. 
 
The training challenged crews to reload Patriot M903 launching stations at night, requiring equipment handling, clear communication and coordination between the soldiers operating the launcher and the missile transport equipment. 
 
Delta Battery's leadership emphasized placing responsibility for executing the training onto the soldiers.

"Our junior leaders know what needs to get done, and we need to allow them to lead," said Army 1st Sgt. Pattrick Harris, Delta Battery first sergeant. "We set the standard, give them the resources and let them execute. That's how they build confidence, and that's how we find out what our crews are capable of."

The soldiers operated a modified M985 heavy expanded mobility tactical truck equipped with a heavy-duty crane. The crew worked together to safely remove and replace training missile canisters on the launching station, coordinating their movements to lift, position and secure each one.

Although headlamps helped soldiers see their work areas, limited visibility still required crews to maintain communication and stay alert for personnel and equipment. 
 
Army Sgt. Kolby Bagley, who served as the signal person for the reload crew, helped coordinate equipment movements while working with his fellow soldiers. 
 
"The training went really well, and we were moving at a good pace," Bagley said. "One of the biggest things I took away from this reload [training] was learning to trust my safety more. You have to trust the people around you to do their jobs."

For Army Capt. Grace Ko, Delta Battery commander, the training was an opportunity to build confidence in the crews' abilities. 
 
"It's not enough to get a Patriot system into position. Our soldiers must be able to keep it operational," Ko said. "Training these reloads at night gives our crews experience working through challenges they could face during a real mission. We need to be ready to sustain the fight." 
 
Reload training was one of several events during the battalion's mission readiness exercise, which began Oct. 19. The exercise brings firing batteries, headquarters and supporting elements into the field to evaluate their ability to establish, operate and sustain Patriot air defense systems.