Poland's president Andrzej Duda, center, during the annual Armed Forces review during a national holiday, in Katowice, Poland, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019. Large crowds turned out for the celebration which this year included a fly-over by two U.S. F-15 fighter jets. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
Republished August 15, 2019 - 1:18 PM
Original Publication Date August 15, 2019 - 9:46 AM
KATOWICE, Poland - Poland celebrated its Armed Forces national holiday on Thursday with a parade that included more than 2,600 soldiers and a flyover by aircraft that included American F-15 fighter jets.
The military show took place in the southern city of Katowice in the presence of Polish leaders and the U.S. ambassador.
It comes as Poland has been lobbying its NATO ally for a greater U.S. presence in the country.
The U.S. military began increasing military drills and rotating troops in and out of Poland and other nervous countries on NATO's eastern flank after Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.
President Donald Trump, who will visit Poland from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2, recently announced plans to send 1,000 more U.S. troops to Poland.
News from © The Associated Press, 2019