* Poland to champion closer EU-NATO security ties
* Increases military budget in 2011 despite spending squeeze
* Hails strong military relations with United States
By Gareth Jones and Gabriela Baczynska
WARSAW, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Poland aims to increase military coordination between the European Union and NATO during its turn as president of the EU in the second half of 2011 to save money in tough economic times, its defence minister said on Thursday.
The largest ex-communist member state of both organisations, Poland has sought to increase its diplomatic clout with tactical alliances with Germany, France, Sweden and others on security, relations with ex-Soviet republics to the east and other issues.
Poland, Germany and France -- who form a grouping known as the 'Weimar Triangle' -- wrote in December to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton calling for closer military cooperation both within the 27-nation EU and with NATO. [ID:nLDE6BC0ZX]
"During the Polish presidency, we should see a further moving together of the EU and NATO. Twenty one countries are in both organisations and even though they have different national interests, nobody wants to duplicate defence spending in times of crisis," Bogdan Klich told Reuters in an interview.
"The EU and NATO should coordinate their capabilities and actions in the field," said Klich, adding that Ashton had replied positively to the December letter.
"The two organisations have their soldiers in the same regions of the world and coming from the same countries, but they continue operating under two completely separate structures," said Klich. Klich said progress in this area was possible despite political obstacles blocking wider cooperation, notably the long-running dispute between Turkey, which is in NATO but not the EU, and Cyprus, in the EU but not NATO.
"AREAS OF INTEREST"
Poland will also actively support the "pooling and sharing" principle during its presidency, whereby EU member states focus on what they can do best in the military domain rather than aim to develop their capabilities across the board, Klich said.
"We will be identifying the areas of interest of each country in the first half of 2011. Poland will be looking into strategic transport, satellite reconnaissance and anti-IED (improvised explosive device) programmes," he added.
Klich confirmed Poland's plan to press ahead with France and Germany on forming a three-nation "Battlegroup" for 2013 that could be deployed where needed, adding: "We hope others will follow this example and we will create a good practice".
Polish analysts have expressed unease over a landmark deal between France and Britain -- the EU's biggest defence spenders -- to set up a joint military force and share equipment and nuclear missile research centres in a drive to save money, because it is completely outside EU structures. [ID:nLDE6A21QF]
Klich expressed some disappointment with the deal.
"I'd prefer to see France and Britain supporting common projects and joint instruments rather than opting for bilateral cooperation. But in a sense this still fits the 'pooling and sharing' model," he said.
Poland has the 10th biggest defence budget in the 28-nation NATO alliance, which links European and north American nations. It is set to reach 27.2 billion zlotys (${esc.dollar}9.24 billion) in 2011, up from 25 billion in 2010 and Polish law sets minimum defence spending at 1.95 percent of gross domestic product.
Warsaw also has 2,600 troops serving in the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan.
Klich said Poland's security relationship with its key ally the United States was particularly strong after a recent agreement to rotate U.S. F-16 fighter planes and Hercules transport planes through Poland from 2013.
"This means our staff will be regularly trained with U.S. soldiers on U.S. equipment," Klich said.
The accord follows a separate deal to start rotating a U.S. Patriot missile battery through Poland from 2010, a move of psychological though little military importance for Warsaw which was rattled by Russia's brief war with Georgia in 2008.
"Poland feels safer in general because it has learned to play three pianos at once, not just one or two," Klich said.
"We have three pillars (of our security) -- NATO, the EU and the United States... The NATO pillar is very strong and we are experiencing good cooperation with the United States. Now we want to strengthen the EU pillar as it is still the weakest." (Writing by Gareth Jones, editing by Philippa Fletcher)
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