| What the future holds for Poland's reliance on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is unknown. As the war in Afghanistan dwindles down, NATO's members look forward to bringing home their troops and to reducing further their military budgets. A military capability gap on both sides of the Atlantic is Poland's primary concern, even if the US narrows this gap with its presence in Europe. As a result, Poland's security concerns resurfaced when America announced a strategic shift from Europe towards Asia in January 2012. America has pledged to continue its NATO commitments as a reassurance to European security. The Polish political elite, however, is skeptical about NATO's future ability to provide security to Poland's territory.;This paper addresses whether a shift in US military strategy towards Asia and Europe's declining military budgets pose a threat to Poland's security apparatus. The author argues that, in spite of concerns from either sides of the Atlantic, an American strategic refocus toward the Asian-Pacific will not threaten Poland's security. |
