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‘Written in our DNA’: Polish pilots who remember Soviet rule prepare for America’s most lethal fighter jet
US and Polish pilots stand together on NATO’s front line
Fox News Digital goes inside Poland’s 32nd Tactical Air Base where American and Polish forces operate together as Warsaw prepares for a new era of military firepower. (Flight video courtesy of the 32nd tactical base, Lask, Poland.)
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LASK, Poland — Poland is expected to receive its first F-35 fighter jets «very, very soon», Polish Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Zalewski told Fox News Digital, as American and Polish forces prepare together at a key NATO air base near the alliance’s eastern flank.
Fox News Digital received exclusive access to Poland’s 32nd Tactical Air Base in Lask, where commanders pointed to the hangars being prepared for the arrival of the U.S.- made fifth-generation aircraft, part of Poland’s $4.6 billion purchase of 32 F-35s from Lockheed Martin.
The jets have not arrived yet, but the partnership behind them already has.
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F-35 fighters fly over the White House during Polish President Karol Nawrocki’s visit in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 3, 2025. Trump and Nawrocki discussed the flyover in memory of a Polish pilot who recently died in training, calling him a «legend.» (Oliver Contreras/AFP via Getty Images.)
Polish and American personnel train, operate and in some cases are stationed together on the base, reflecting the unusually close military relationship between Warsaw and Washington at a time when NATO burden-sharing remains under political scrutiny.
Lt. Col. Pete Nanoslawski, commander of the 52nd Operations Group Detachment 1 of the U.S. Air Force, originally from New York and stationed in Poland for the past five years, told Fox News Digital that Poland’s military modernization has significantly deepened cooperation between the two militaries.
«We are experiencing incredible support from Polish-provided logistics support and Polish-provided infrastructure,» Nanoslawski said while standing alongside Polish commanders on the base.
A Polish F-16 at the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Lask. (Efrat Lachter/Fox News Digital)
He said Poland’s investment in American military systems and joint operations reflects how seriously Warsaw views threats from Russia. «Their foreign military sales portfolio is an appetite that’s insatiable, and rightfully so.»
The close relationship between the two militaries was visible throughout the visit. As Polish commanders spoke about cooperation with the United States, they frequently turned toward their American counterparts with familiarity that went beyond formal alliance language.
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«We speak the same language, only with different accents,» Col. Krzysztof Duda, pilot and commander of the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Lask, told Fox News Digital.
Duda, who studied in the United States and attended the U.S. Air War College, described himself as «a child of the American education system.»
«The marriage we have with the U.S. on the military level, even if you want to divorce, we would not,» Duda said with a smile,»But we don’t want the divorce.»
Nanoslawski added that the American presence in Poland provides «enhanced forward presence and the ability to maneuver and adjust rapidly.»
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House, Sept. 3, 2025, in Washington. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo )
The partnership is now entering a new phase with the integration of the U.S.-made F-35 into Poland’s air force fleet.
Poland signed a $4.6 billion agreement in 2020 to purchase 32 F-35A fighter jets manufactured by Lockheed Martin.
Duda, who is overseeing the implementation process at Lask, said the transition involves years of training, infrastructure upgrades and coordination with the United States.
Training to become an F-35 pilot is not just a long process, it’s an expensive one too — Duda estimates that it costs around $55 million per pilot.
The base itself has undergone extensive modernization to prepare for the aircraft, including new operational infrastructure, maintenance systems and classified facilities required under American certification standards.
In an interview with Fox News Digital in Warsaw, Polish Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Zalewski confirmed the first F-35 arrival is expected soon. «I can confirm that it will be very, very soon,» Zalewski said.
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Polish and American flags on display at the 32nd-Tactical Airbase in Lask, Poland. (Efrat Lachter/Fox News)
«F-35s provides very, very important capabilities, so it offers domination in the air. That is crucial in the battlefield nowadays,» he added. «It will be a capability developed together with Americans.»
At a time when NATO burden-sharing remains a recurring debate in Washington, Poland has emerged as one of the alliance’s strongest military partners, dramatically increasing defense spending, purchasing American weapons systems and hosting U.S. forces.
For many Polish officers, the threat from Moscow is deeply personal.
Lt. Col. «Shooter,» a Polish F-16 pilot at the base, told Fox News Digital that countries on NATO’s eastern flank still carry memories of Soviet domination.
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«There are still people that lived in communism,» he said. «We remember, and we don’t want anything like that to happen again.»
Looking at Russia’s actions in Chechnya, Georgia, Crimea and Ukraine, he said Poland believes deterrence is essential.
«We have this intuition probably written in our DNA,» Shooter said. «When they are doing something, they’re not going to stop unless the cost of the further operation is going to be more than what they’re going to gain.»
According to the U.S. Air Force, Polish pilots began F-35 training in the United States in 2024, including at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas. The 33rd Fighter Wing announced in February that a Polish pilot had completed the first flight on Poland’s new F-35A aircraft as part of the training program.
Lockheed Martin told Fox News Digital that «integration of the F-35 into the Polish Air Force fleet advances regional deterrence, enhances interoperability and strengthens European security.»
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«As seen in recent combat and air policing operations, the F-35 is actively helping defend NATO and allied airspace by deterring and defeating threats, and it will protect Poland’s national security for decades to come,» a company spokesperson said.
The company added that preparations are continuing for Poland’s first in-country F-35 arrival celebration at Lask in June.
nato, defense, us air force, military, europe, russia
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State Department congratulates Keiko Fujimori as Peru’s president-elect following razor-thin vote count
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The State Department on Tuesday congratulated conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori after she was declared the winner of Peru’s presidential runoff election by a razor-thin margin.
The statement marked a significant milestone in Latin American relations, with Washington signaling it expects to work closely with Fujimori’s administration on shared priorities.
«The United States congratulates President-Elect Keiko Fujimori of Peru on her important electoral victory,» the department said.
«The Trump Administration looks forward to deepening collaboration with the Fujimori Administration to advance security cooperation and to strengthen bilateral cooperation on investment and trade in our region.»
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Peru’s presidential candidate for the Fuerza Popular party, Keiko Fujimori, waves to supporters during a closing campaign rally in Lima on June 4, 2026. (Anthony Nino de Guzman/AFP)
Her victory comes as Washington seeks to strengthen ties with pro-market allies in Latin America amid growing Chinese economic influence in the region.
Beijing recently completed the Chancay deepwater port in Peru — a $1.3 billion mega-project that serves as China’s key logistics hub on the Pacific coast.
Fujimori’s tough stance on organized crime also aligns with U.S. efforts to expand regional security and anti-trafficking cooperation.
BIDEN, XI TO MEET ON SATURDAY IN PERU, US OFFICIALS SAY
Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on during a ceremony at the U.S. embassy in New Delhi on May 23, 2026. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AFP)
Fujimori was declared the winner Monday by Peru’s National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE), the electoral authority responsible for reporting vote count results. The country’s final authority on election matters, the National Jury of Elections (JNE), has yet to issue its official proclamation, according to Reuters.
According to the ONPE, Fujimori secured 50.1% of the vote, winning by fewer than 50,000 votes out of roughly 18 million ballots cast.
Her victory over leftist challenger Roberto Sánchez marks her fourth presidential bid and makes her Peru’s first female president-elect.
The result caps a deeply divisive election cycle in a country that has gone through nine presidents in the past decade.
Fujimori is also the daughter of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, who ruled the country during the 1990s.
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Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori waves outside his home in Santiago, Chile, on May 18, 2006. (Claudio Santana/AP Photo)
Fujimori’s presidency marks a return of her family’s political brand to Peru’s highest office — a movement that has long carried a complicated relationship with the United States.
While Washington once backed her father for his fight against communist guerrillas and economic reforms in the 1990s, the U.S. later condemned his government over the dismantling of democratic institutions and allegations of human rights abuses.
Keiko Fujimori has since spent more than two decades attempting to reshape «Fujimorismo» into a modern conservative, law-and-order political movement.
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Peruvians voted in favor of Fujimori amid a surge in violent crime, extortion and years of political instability.
Fujimori campaigned on an «iron fist» approach to security and a pledge to protect Peru’s free-market economy, while her opponent focused on rural economic grievances.
Reuters contributed to this report.
latin america, administration, washington, foreign policy, state department, world politics
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Federal judge blocks blue state’s law prohibiting ICE agents from wearing masks on the job
DOJ sues Virginia over anti-ICE policies as key anti-terror tool nears expiration
The Department of Justice launched a lawsuit against Virginia concerning new anti-ICE policies, including a controversial mask ban for federal agents. Acting AG Todd Blanche argues these laws jeopardize federal officers. Concurrently, a major anti-terrorism tool, FISA, faces expiration tonight due to congressional inaction, raising national security concerns. Shannon Bream and Jim Jordan analyze the political stalemate and potential consequences.
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A federal judge on Tuesday blocked Virginia from enforcing a new law that would prohibit federal agents — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol — from wearing masks while carrying out enforcement operations, siding with the Trump administration in a dispute over federal authority.
Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne granted the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) request for a preliminary injunction, preventing the law from taking effect Wednesday while the legal challenge proceeds. The injunction will remain in place while the case is litigated.
Payne found the federal government is likely to succeed on the merits because Virginia’s law attempts to regulate how federal officers enforce immigration laws, violating the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.
MINNESOTA SENATE VOTES TO BAN ICE FROM WEARING MASKS, ALLOW RESIDENTS TO SUE FOR CONSTITUTIONAL VIOLATIONS
Masked federal agents are confronted by anti-ICE agitators. (Getty Images, File)
The judge also found the government demonstrated it would likely suffer irreparable harm because enforcing the law could expose federal employees to «real risk of physical harm» while carrying out immigration enforcement duties.
The ruling stems from a lawsuit the DOJ filed last week challenging two laws signed by Democrat Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger.
The DOJ argued the measures would subject masked federal agents to criminal penalties and threaten agreements between federal immigration authorities and local law enforcement.
DOJ ESCALATES BLUE-STATE ICE STANDOFF AFTER STATES REFUSE KEY FEDERAL REQUEST
«Law enforcement officers risk their lives every day to keep Americans safe, and they do not deserve to be doxed or harassed simply for carrying out their duties,» Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said when the lawsuit was filed.
«Virginia’s anti-law enforcement policies regulate the federal government and are designed to create risk for our agents,» he added. «These laws cannot stand.»
The lawsuit argued Virginia was attempting to dictate how federal officers carry out law enforcement operations by restricting when they may wear face coverings, requiring them to display identifying information and placing conditions on cooperation agreements between local agencies and ICE.
MINNESOTA SENATE VOTES TO BAN ICE FROM WEARING MASKS, ALLOW RESIDENTS TO SUE FOR CONSTITUTIONAL VIOLATIONS
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger has ended agreements between state law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images, File)
According to the DOJ, federal officers who violated Virginia’s mask and identification law could have faced a Class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to 12 months in jail, a fine of up to $2,500, or both.
The lawsuit names Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones and Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano as defendants.
Payne’s order applies only to Virginia’s mask and identity law. The judge noted the Justice Department’s separate challenge to another provision governing immigration enforcement agreements will proceed on a different briefing schedule, with a hearing scheduled for Aug. 3.
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Spanberger, Jones and Descano have all taken steps to counter the Trump administration’s ICE agenda in Virginia.
In February, Spanberger rescinded an executive order issued by former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin directing state law enforcement agencies to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Spanberger’s office for comment on the development.
Fox News Digital’s Ashley J. DiMella contributed to this report.
virginia, judiciary, justice department, federal courts, politics
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