The UK and Poland have signed a three-year defence cooperation plan covering joint military exercises, missile development, drone defences and cyber security. The agreement, signed in Warsaw on 27 October 2026, comes ahead of a planned multinational exercise in Poland next month.
British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting and Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz signed the document during talks in Warsaw. Both governments confirmed the agreement, which the UK calls the Warsaw Defence Plan.
What does the new defence plan cover?
The agreement sets out how the two NATO allies intend to develop military capabilities and cooperate across land, sea, air, cyber security and defence manufacturing. The Polish Ministry of National Defence says it maps strategic cooperation between their armed forces through the end of the decade.
- Joint development and manufacture of next-generation air defence missiles.
- Development of drones and counter-drone technologies intended to protect military sites, civilian infrastructure and people.
- Closer cooperation on cyber security, military exercises and electronic warfare.
- Maritime exercises and coordination in the Baltic Sea, including protection of vital communications.
- Cooperation on warships, including Britain’s Type 31 frigates and Poland’s Miecznik programme, which share a common design.
- Industrial cooperation, including plans involving BAE Systems and Poland’s PGZ to expand large-calibre ammunition production.
The Polish government also identified artificial intelligence, precision-strike capabilities and joint training as priorities. These are areas of planned or continuing cooperation, not a claim that every system has already been built or deployed.
What is actually new?
The confirmed development is the signing of the three-year implementation plan. It should not be confused with an entirely new defence relationship or a fresh announcement of every project named in it.
The UK and Poland signed a wider Security and Defence Partnership Treaty on 27 May 2026. At the time, the UK government had already outlined cooperation on missile manufacturing, ammunition production, maritime security, counter-drone measures, cyber defence and joint military exercises.
Some work is already under way. In September, the UK Ministry of Defence announced the opening of a missile repair and logistics facility in Czosnów, Poland, involving British expertise and linked to defence industry jobs in Bristol, Stevenage and Bolton.
The Warsaw plan therefore gives a further framework for delivering and coordinating existing commitments, alongside any additional activity agreed by the two countries.
Military exercise planned for November
The UK Ministry of Defence says a major Coalition of the Willing exercise is planned in Poland for November 2026, involving thousands of personnel. The stated purpose is to prepare the proposed Multinational Force Ukraine for potential roles in military training and post-war reconstruction.
The announcement does not say that the force has already deployed to Ukraine or that a post-war mission has begun. The planned exercise remains a future event.
What has not been confirmed?
Neither government’s 27 October announcement gives a single new funding total for the three-year plan, an itemised timetable for every capability or a confirmed number of new jobs resulting specifically from this agreement.
The governments say the work is intended to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank and improve protection against threats, including hostile drones and cyber attacks. The scale and timing of any additional benefits will depend on delivery of the projects and exercises.
