Sweden will deploy Patriot air-defence capabilities to southeastern Poland in December, taking over a NATO mission currently supported by the Netherlands to protect a key logistics hub used
for military assistance to Ukraine, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Tuesday.
The Swedish deployment will involve about 100 personnel from the Swedish Armed Forces’ air-defence unit in Halmstad, according to the government. Stockholm has not disclosed how many Patriot fire units or launchers will be sent.
The move will expand Sweden’s military contribution to NATO’s eastern flank just days after Stockholm announced that Swedish Gripen fighter jets would participate in an alliance air-policing mission over Poland. The two deployments are intended to reinforce protection of the logistics infrastructure through which military and civilian assistance is channelled to Ukraine.
“The task of both the Gripen deployment and the Patriot deployment is ... to protect NATO’s logistics hub in Poland at the airport,” Kristersson said.
The facility is located in the Rzeszów-Jasionka area in southeastern Poland and forms part of NATO’s Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) arrangements. NATO says the hub coordinates the flow of military equipment to Ukraine and handles roughly 18,000 tonnes of material each month.
The Netherlands has been providing Patriot protection for the site since late 2025. Dutch forces initially deployed about 300 personnel along with two Patriot systems, a NASAMS system and counter-drone capabilities. Poland said last month that Dutch Patriot units remained stationed near Jasionka and were working alongside Polish air-defence systems to protect the airport and surrounding infrastructure.
Sweden's forthcoming contribution represents a further step in its military role within NATO after joining the alliance in March 2024. Stockholm has increasingly participated in NATO air-defence and surveillance activities, including an earlier Polish mission in 2025.
The Gripen deployment announced last week is scheduled to operate for two months. Swedish fighters will mainly remain based in Sweden while conducting operations over Polish airspace, with a smaller forward presence in Poland. The mission is designed to support NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence and safeguard important supply routes to Ukraine.
The strengthened protection comes amid heightened concern among NATO members about threats to infrastructure supporting Ukraine. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said last month, citing intelligence assessments, that Russia could seek to conduct hybrid drone and missile attacks against countries assisting Ukraine.
Russia has rejected suggestions that it intends to attack NATO countries. President Vladimir Putin said last week that Moscow had “no intention of attacking anyone”, while adding that Russia would respond if subjected to aggression.
Sweden’s Patriot deployment, together with its Gripen contribution, will therefore give the alliance an additional layer of air and missile protection around one of the most strategically important transit points for Western assistance to Ukraine. Photo by U.S. Army, Wikimedia commons.
