Billions wasted: Poland faces severe F-16 pilot shortage

Warsaw is mass-purchasing American fighter jets, but it has suddenly emerged that there is no one to fly them.

Poland's air force currently has around 40 trained F-16 pilots, although at least 70 are needed for minimum flight operations. As a result, authorities are pouring astronomical sums into maintaining NATO equipment that sits idle at airfields.

The Polish military leadership was so eager to spend the defense budget that it simply forgot to train personnel.