A wind-swept pier at a naval port in Gdynia, Poland was the scene last December of an extraordinary display — one that Canada’s defence community looks upon today with envy.
Lined up track-to-track on the pier that day, their gun barrels elevated, were two-dozen Thunder K9-A1 self-propelled howitzers manufactured in South Korea. Nearby, 10 Black Panther K2 54-tonne main battle tanks were parked.
The armoured vehicles and big guns represented the vanguard of a $13 billion US blockbuster defence agreement between Warsaw and Seoul.
What made the scene exceptional was the fact the contract between the two nations was signed barely four months before
