POLISH ARMED FORCES. YOuR ARMY. - wojsko-polskie.pl · POLISH ARMED FORCES. YOuR ARMY. The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland serve to protect the national independence and the

Polish armed forces. your army.

POLISH ARMED FORCES. YOuR ARMY.


The Armed Forces oF The republic oF polAnd 3

“counTer-mine shield For europe” - operATion open spiriT 5

operATion AcTive endeAvour 8

mine cleArAnce pATrols 8

sAr 15

AcTion donor heArT TrAnsporTATion 16

mAin cenTre For The AnAlysis oF conTAminATions 16

miliTAry reconsTrucTion uniTs 21

miliTAry GendArmerie 24

speciAl Forces 29


Polish armed forces. your army.2


The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland

serve to protect the national independence

and the integrity of its territory. They ensure

the security and inviolability of the national

borders. As the primary component of

the national defence system, they implement

the security policy and the defence policy.

The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland

remain ready to carry out three kinds of missions:

• National defence and countering aggression

under alliance obligations (i.e. maintaining

the capability of using armed forces to defend

and protect the inviolability of the borders

of the Republic of Poland, in anti-terrorist

operations, to solve a local or a regional

military conflict and in a defensive operation

– home and abroad);

• Contribution to the international stabilisation

process, to the crisis response operations

and humanitarian operations (i.e. maintaining

forces and capabilities to participate in

peacekeeping and crisis response operations

led by NATO, the EU and the UN as well

as other operations carried out under

international agreements and in humanitarian

operations led by international, governmental

and other organisations);

• Supporting internal security and helping

the society (in a variety of ways including: air

space protection, supporting the protection

of in-land borderlines and territorial waters,

reconnaissance and intelligence activity,

monitoring of radioactive, chemical and

biological contaminations within the national

territory; clearing land of explosive materials

and dangerous items of military origin,

carrying out search and rescue operations,

providing support to governmental

authorities, public administration and

the society while responding to hazards that

The Armed Forces oF The republic oF polAnd

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cannot be countered by civilian services on

their own).

Specialised military subunits of the Polish Armed

Forces carry out many domestic tasks directly

related to supporting the internal security

and helping the society by complementing

the capabilities of civilian services. They are

generally used in crisis situations when other

forces and resources prove unavailable or

insufficient. They also take part in crisis response

tasks which are carried out beyond the national

borders and coincide with the Polish national

interest and alliance obligations.

More than 100 thousand naval mines were laid in

the Baltic sea during World War I and World War

II to prevent the enemy from attaining supremacy

on the sea and attacking foreign seaports. Due

to the specific geographic conditions (numerous

straits, narrows and bays), the Baltic was an

excellent water area for waging a mine war.

Some of the mines, torpedoes and aerial bombs

left in the sea depths have never exploded and

remain a serious threat for maritime navigation

and fishing. It is estimated that in the area of

the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, on the sea

bottom and nearby seaports, there are still about

200 thousand naval mines, torpedoes, bombs and

other dangerous materials which are remnants of

World Wars I and II.

Each day, 2.5 - 3 thousand vessels sail the waters

of the Baltic Sea under a threat posed by

the dangerous materials. Most goods and raw

“counTer-mine shield For europe” - operATion open spiriT

5


materials destined for the Polish market are

transported by sea. the Polish seaports are

developing and new sea routes are launched on

the congested Baltic Sea area. a disruption to their

safe passage would have a highly adverse effect

on the Polish economy.

Therefore, NATO maintains Standing Mine

Countermeasures Forces which regularly

clear the communication routes and seaport

approach waterways of dangerous materials,

thus complementing the tasks carried out by

the crews of Polish mine sweepers and destroyers.

Operations of this type are regularly performed in

various areas of the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and

the Atlantic.

The Baltic Sea has been divided by means of

an agreed geographical grid into squares, each

with the side length of one nautical mile. During

each mine countermeasure operation, vessels

are assigned specific ”squares” to be searched.

After an accurate check, the particular area

is marked green on the map, meaning that it

has been thoroughly searched, cleared and

is safe for maritime navigation and fishing.

Furthermore, the dangerous materials are

immediately recovered and neutralised when

they are detected, e.g. during construction works

in the areas of ports, hydrographical surveys or

following civilian notifications.

The Polish Navy is represented in the operation

Open Spirit by the NATO Standing Mine

Countermeasures Forces command vessel –

ORP ”Kontradmirał Xawery Czernicki”, heading

the rotational command of NATO’s vessels

taking part in the operation, mine destroyers

and specialists from divers’ – mine clearance

engineers’ groups.

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Polish armed forces. your army. 7


There is an immense amount of unexploded

ordnance items remaining on Polish land as

remnants of war actions. Several million items

were successfully detected and neutralised

immediately after the end of World War II, but

almost the entire area of the country required

detailed inspection to identify items and materials

dangerous to human life. the number of mines

planted during the war was making it impossible for

the country to recover from wartime destruction,

mine cleArAnce pATrols

operATion AcTive endeAvour

Polish Navy vessels secure the primary national

interests also beyond the territorial waters and

the Baltic area, among others, by operating in

the Mediterranean Sea as part of the standing

anti-terrorist operation Active Endeavour.

The Mediterranean Sea is the major commercial

route between Europe and Asia, generating an

economic exchange among 58 large seaports

belonging to 22 states (including 7 member

states of the EU) worth approx. 300 billion Euros

every year. Each day, 800 tankers simultaneously

transport 2.5 million oil barrels through the Strait

of Gibraltar. the threats that terrorism and

smuggling pose for this water region are serious

for the global economy, including the Polish

economy. Stopping trade for a single day would

mean European economies suffering losses

amounting to several hundred million Euros.

Disturbances of trade (stopping the navigation,

alternative route around Africa) lead to increasing

prices of goods and raw materials supplied by sea

(90% of the export/import trade between Europe

and Asia is seaborne). Smuggling drugs, weapons

and people to Europe in this area is estimated to

constitute a market worth approx. 30 billion Euros

annually.

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to run commercial activity, to re-launch factories,

to practice agriculture and forestry.

Warsaw was distinguished by its particularly high

number of mines planted in the city. the action

undertaken to clear the country of dangerous

materials was ended in 1956. It helped dispose

more than 15 million warfare items, including not

only explosive materials but also incendiary or

caustic ones. the action claimed the lives of 640

explosive ordnance disposal engineers and allowed

the rebuilding of the state but has not provided

a complete solution to the problem. There is a high

number of dangerous items which are too deep

in the ground to be detected by metal detectors

or deposited on the bottoms of water reservoirs,

which makes it is impossible to fully neutralise all

unexploded ordnance items left in the country.

Polish Armed Forces maintain an unexploded

ordnance response system which comprises 39

full-time mine clearance patrols and 2 groups of

divers – mine clearance engineers. Every year, they

carry out on average 7-8 thousand interventions

to dispose of items posing a lethal threat. Each

year, they neutralise several hundred thousand

explosive and dangerous items. Nearly 70 years

after the end of World War II, each bomb disposal

patrol receives a new notification almost every day.

The scale of this phenomenon is so large that

the military explosive ordnance disposal engineers

emphasise the need for preventive actions, holding

classes at primary and secondary schools about

threats related to the ”rusty death” and rules to be

followed in case of finding a dangerous item.

In February 2012 in Warsaw, a mine clearance patrol unit patrol recovered a German 600 mm calibre

”KARL” mortar grenade, found while construction works at the second underground line were being carried

out. the shell weighed 1250 kg, was 1800 mm long and could contain up to 400 kg of an explosive material.

the Wehrmacht used such ammunition while shelling the capital during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944.

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The mine clearance patrol units of the Land Armed

Forces, the Polish Navy and the Inspectorate for

Armed Forces Support have been assigned with

areas of responsibility which cover the territory

of the whole country. the mine clearance patrol

units of the Air Forces handle notifications coming

from the air force training areas in Nadarzyce

and in Ustka. the explosive ordnance disposal

patrol units of the Polish Navy are responsible for

the areas including sea beaches, the Hel Peninsula

region, the closed area of military seaports

and the Polish Navy vessel bases and airfields.

Groups of divers - mine clearance engineers -

are responsible for coastal maritime areas and

for supporting land mine clearance patrol units

while picking up unexploded ordnance items from

in-land waterways. the size of the area to which

the mine clearance has been assigned depends

on the frequency of notifications coming from

the given area. On average, there are 1 to 4 patrol

units active in every province.

Construction and agricultural works frequently

lead to the discovery of dangerous items. Many of

these items are large calibre and size unexploded

ordnance and their current technical condition

makes them particularly dangerous.

Considering the number of the explosive disposal

actions, most of them are not reported in the media.

However, the most spectacular actions, that is, those

undertaken to dispose a large size finding or making

it necessary to evacuate people (e.g. picking a 1000-

kg aerial bomb from the sea bottom by the new pier

in Szczecin or bombs on the construction site or

a residential site in Wrocław), serve to remind us

that the Armed Forces have and maintain subunits

ready to neutralise such threats.

As part of the 2012 European Football Championships security plan, the host cities of the tournament

remained under special protection of the mine clearance patrol units which were prepared to intervene

within a maximum of 1 hour on match days.

12




sAr

The data of the organisations super vising

the maritime navigation show that the Baltic

Sea, which is rather small as compared to other

water areas, has a15% share in the global

seaborne transport of goods. Each day, 2500

to 3000 vessels sail on the sea and the annual

number of accidents reaches 120.

The Polish zone of responsibility for search and

rescue in the Baltic Sea covers over 30,000 km²

of the sea area.

The obligation to maintain forces and means

ready to provide help to all users of the sea is

primarily incurred by the International Convention

on Maritime Search and Rescue which Poland

signed in Hamburg on April 27, 1979. the Navy

pilots pursue this task in close cooperation with

the Maritime Search and Rescue Service, which

is responsible for carrying out and coordinating

life-saving actions on the sea but which does not

have aircraft of its own.

The Navy Air Force Brigade is the only air force

unit in Poland which is continuously ready to

carry out rescue operations from the air over

maritime areas. It operates the maritime and air

rescue system which uses the on-duty W-3RM

„Anakonda” and Mi-14PŁ/R helicopters based

on airfields in Gdynia-Babie Doły and Darłowo.

the rescue system is also supported by crews of

the Bryza patrol aircraft which are on-duty on

the Siemirowice airfield. Since the beginning of

1990s, the Polish naval airmen took part in 538

rescue operations and provided help to 280

people.

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AcTion donor heArT TrAnsporTATion

An organ having been acquired from a donor

must be transplanted to another person within

only few hours even though the patient may be

waiting in a transplantation clinic on the other

side of Poland.

The first military transportation carried out for

transplantation purposes took place in 1985 and

it was initiated by prof. (then: Ph.D.) Zbigniew

Religa. Almost 30 years after that event, the Air

Forces and the Navy carry out several life-

saving flights each year by agreement between

the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry

of Health.

Most of the Action Donor Heart Transportation

flights are carried out at night. the aircraft

crew takes a team of transplantologists on

board, carries them to acquire an organ from

an approved donor and then brings them back

to the clinic where the transplantation follows

immediately. In many cases, such help would be

impossible without the support from the military

aircraft which can fly day and night, regardless

of weather conditions, and provide much faster

transportation than civilian units.

mAin cenTre For The AnAlysis oF conTAminATions

The Chemical Forces operate a contamination

detection system, the selected elements of which

monitor contamination levels all over the national

territory during peacetime.

The event which has influenced the way of

thinking about the Defence against Weapons of

Mass Destruction was the attack on the World

Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, which

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gave rise to the awareness that threats can

occur in the least expected place, time and form.

the Contamination Detection System has been

entirely restructured and equipped so as to be

capable of responding immediately to a detected

threat. the main centre of the Polish Armed Forces’

Contamination Detection System responsible

for analysing contaminations is the Main Centre

for the Analysis of Contaminations. It primarily

coordinates and exchanges information with

proper alliance systems and serves as the Control

Centre for the National Contamination Detection

System comprising the armed forces as well as

civilian services and institutions responsible for

the environmental protection and protecting

the population from contaminations. Data

from all over the country are monitored and

analysed under a system of round-the-clock

duties. the Main Centre for the Analysis of

Contaminations (Polish: COAS) uses advanced

mobile laboratories and a Mobile Response Unit

which are ready to operate both on the national

territory and beyond it, also as part of the NATO

Response Forces.

lidAr (light detection and ranging)

It is a system used for remote detection of biological and chemical contaminations, designed in the Military

University of Technology. LIDAR monitors the air space by scanning the air composition from a long distance

with a laser beam and carrying out a digital analysis of its dispersion. This technique can be used e.g. to detect

anthrax from a distance of many kilometres. LIDARs were first used during Euro 2012. They were installed on

the 27th floor of the Palace of Culture in Warsaw. One of them monitored the Fan Zone and the other surveyed

the composition of the air above the National Stadium from the distance of over 10 km. LIDARs are mobile units –

e.g. they were installed on vans while safeguarding matches played on other stadiums. the system sensitivity allows

the detection of the smallest anomalies in the air composition. In the case when a danger is detected, the properly

prepared military and civilian services would immediately launch procedures related to decontamination, that is,

cleansing people and items of harmful substances.

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miliTAry reconsTrucTion uniTs

Major disasters and extraordinary environmental

threats that occur in Poland are caused by forces

of nature. They include: heavy precipitations,

sudden melts and ice phenomena, heavy frosts

and strong winds. These are factors which cause

floods, fires, hail, hurricanes etc. Such threats can

occur every year, especially in summertime. In

many cases, the scale of a disaster is too large for

the civilian services and the local administration to

cope with its effects without help from the armed

forces. In order to properly counter these

disasters and threats, the Polish Armed Forces

delegate over 9500 soldiers and approx. 2400

specialised equipment units (including vehicles,

floating vessels and aircraft) and the Ministry of

National Defence operates a Crisis Management

System. In special cases, these forces can be

enlarged as they were e.g. in 2010 when the flood

rescue operations carried out in 15 provinces

engaged nearly 27 thousand soldiers.

“promień”

In a crisis situation, it is crucial that all users of the system have access to information and its adequate, fast

analysis. the volume of the data that need to be analysed is beyond the capabilities of conventional means of

communication. Therefore, a dedicated IT system ”Promień” was developed which enables automatic transmission

of information about contaminations, forecasting contamination situations, warning and alarming the elements

which are under threat of contamination (both the Polish Armed Forces and the civilian services – the system

is being installed in the Provincial Crisis Response Centres). ”Promień” was developed by the specialists from

the IT and Communication Centre of the Ministry of National Defence (presently the Ministerial Centre for

the Management of IT Projects) and the Main Centre for the Analysis of Contaminations.

21


For many years, military engineers have built bridges and crossings on training areas and then

dismantled them. In crisis situations all over the country, the military engineers frequently reconstructed

the infrastructure which the society used for many years. Presently, the Military Reconstruction Units

carry out training tasks on real objects all over the country, rebuilding bridges and crossings which are

of great importance to the local population, particularly in smaller and less wealthy boroughs. In such

cases, a borough is only obliged to purchase materials necessary to build a bridge while the military

engineers carry out design and complex construction works as part of their standard training exercises.

Approximately 30 bridges are planned to be built this way every year in various parts of the country.

Having analysed the intensity of the natural

disasters and threats and the degree to which

the society needs help to eliminate their effects,

the Polish Armed Forces increased their

capabilities to react to non-military threats by

establishing specialised Military Reconstruction

Units (MRU; Polish: WJO) which are properly

prepared and equipped to react to any crisis

situation.

Delegating properly equipped specialised units

has increased the capabilities of the military

engineers to rebuilt destroyed roads, bridges

and dikes, evacuate people and properties

in case of floods, pump water out of flooded

buildings, provide isolated places with electrical

energy, remove ice dams, eliminate the effects

of construction disasters and adverse weather

phenomena.

In total, 10 independent and mobile MRUs will

be formed, capable of carrying out evacuation

and engineering works, with the possibility to

deploy 1-2 mobile task oriented groups from

each engineering unit. Each unit will be equipped

with modern equipment, including: folding

bridges, hybrid boats with ramjet drives, high

efficiency pumps, hovercrafts, power plants,

hydraulic lifts, special purpose vehicles, tankers,

cranes, universal engineering machines, hydraulic

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expanders, container-based social and living sets

and specialised military ambulances on off-road

chassis that can reach places inaccessible for

civilian medical vehicles, to transport and take

care of a larger number of injured people at a time.

First, the MRUs will be formed within

the engineering units of the Inspectorate for

Armed Forces Support. the first four units will

have been formed by the end of October, 2013

in the 2nd Inowrocławski Engineering Regiment,

the 3rd Engineering Battalion in Nisko, the 4th

Engineering Battalion in Głogów and the 1st

Dębliński Road and Bridge Battalion in Dęblin.

miliTAry GendArmerie

The Military Gendarmerie is a police-type

military formation which can support other

services to ensure public order in situations

that require additional forces and resources,

such as the 2012 UEFA European (Football)

Championship (EURO 2012). During EURO

2012, the soldiers of the Military Gendarmerie

were authorised by the Prime Minister to exercise

rights of the police. Nearly 1200 soldiers were

engaged by the Military Gendarmerie to directly

support the Police and cooperate with the Border

Guard. These soldiers carried out tasks in

the championship host cities and in cities from

which police forces were delegated to safeguard

the tournament supported the protection of

the national border during the intensified border

traffic when several hundred thousand sport fans

from various countries were visiting Poland.

The Military Gendarmerie soldiers were taking

care of the security of inhabitants and tourists,

mainly around football stadiums, fan zones

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The principal crisis management task in 2012 was providing security of the Final Tournament of the 2012 UEFA

European Championship. the Polish Armed Forces played a leading role in safeguarding the air space. This task

was handled through combat duties by: six F-16 and Mig-29 combat aircraft and six Mi–24D helicopters, Air

Defence forces and means deployed in the areas of the host cities. In total, the tasks carried out during EURO

2012 involved 19 missions by the F-16 aircraft (patrol flights carried out as part of the AIR POLICING mission,

flights in the on-duty zones) and 42 flights by the Mi-24D helicopters (patrol flights).

There were four Military Task Force Groups operating on the area of the host cities. Their major tasks were:

to detect and neutralise contaminations, to provide medical and anti-epidemic measures, to clean terrain of

unexploded ordnance and to provide logistics and transportation support.

To ensure the security of EURO 2012, the Polish Armed Forces deployed in total approx. 3400 soldiers and 1200

units of various equipment.

and places of residence of the national football

teams. Foot, motorised and traffic inspection

patrols were additionally supported by police dog

handlers. the Military Gendarmerie soldiers were

also controlling traffic in places where the traffic

was rerouted helping drivers effectively reach

their travel destinations and solving traffic jams.

The Warsaw-based Special Unit of the Military

Gendarmerie, specialised in protecting

important persons, provide protection to foreign

delegations – Ministers of Defence and Chiefs

of Staffs of Switzerland, Croatia, Czech Republic

and Germany.

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The Special Forces maintain immediate

readiness to carry out special operations home

and abroad, including anti-terrorist operations

during peacetime, crisis situations and war,

wherever the security of the state or its citizens

is under threat. They can immediately start

operating in a diverse combat environment

on land, in the air and on the sea, in all climate

conditions. the Special Forces maintain

personnel and resources which are ready to

react in special situations, such as kidnappings

of Polish citizens abroad, threats to the security

of diplomatic outposts or evacuation of Polish

citizens from regions under threat. They can

carry out tasks not only on a tactical but also

strategic level which makes the Special Forces

play one of the leading roles in safeguarding

Polish national interests.

The special forces units are prepared to carry

a wide range of tasks and therefore they can be

used in various operations. Each unit also has

its own field of expertise related to the specific

range of its tasks and the environment in which

it handles them.

The GROM Military Unit is the most versatile

unit of the Special Forces, prepared to carry out

complicated operations at the highest risk level,

related to releasing hostages (large buildings,

ships, passenger ferries, airplanes).

GROM has inherited the traditions of

the ”Cichociemni” – the paratroopers of

the Home Army [expl.: ”The Unseen and Silent”

- the Polish elite paratroopers who operated as

part of the Home Army, a major Polish resistance

movement operating in German-occupied Poland

during World War II].

FORMOZA Military Unit is a special divers’

unit formed to operate in maritime and coastal

speciAl Forces

29


environments, especially to carry out operations

which require a stealthy underwater approach

to the coastal or above-water infrastructure,

floating units or embankment and lengthy

operations in an extremely hostile environment.

The Commando Military Unit (Polish: JWK) are

specialists who carry out tasks on land and in

the coastal environment, especially the tasks

which belong to the so-called ”green tactics”:

special reconnaissance, unconventional actions

and direct actions, particularly the subversive

ones. JWK has inherited the traditions of

the Home Army battalions: ”Zośka” and ”Parasol”.

The Special Forces Command structure also

includes units responsible for supporting

GROM, JWK and FORMOZA to carry their

assigned tasks.

The success of special operations run by

operators from combat subunits depends

not only on their training but primarily on

information. Such data are delivered by

the experts of the NIL Military Unit which

has inherited the traditions of Kedyw KG AK

[expl.: Home Army Directorate for Subversion].

Apart from providing information, its soldiers

are responsible for supporting the command

and the logistic and medical back-up of special

operations carried out by the special forces

home and abroad. Due to the specific nature

of the tasks, NIL employs top class specialists.

Most of them were trained in the special forces

centres of various armies within NATO.

AGAT Military Unit is a special forces unit which

is trained in a way modelled upon the American

Rangers and uses heavy equipment for kinetic

support. the unit is destined to support special

operations carried out by GROM, JWK and

FORMOZA. the unit’s most important objectives

are to capture and secure the operation site and

then, after the completion of the operation, to secure

safe withdrawal of the forces. the heavy armament

of the unit complements the potential of light

special forces. Its name derives from the tradition of

AGAT - the special unit of Kedywu KG AK.

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The 7th Special Operations Squadron is

a separate component unit designated to

provide air transportation and fire support to

special operations on land (including mountains

and built-up areas) and maritime environment

in all weather conditions, day and night. These

operations require pilots to have top-level flying

expertise.

The Special Forces can be effectively used as

an independent, integrated component capable

of carrying out complex operations thanks

to the establishment of the Special Forces

Command (POLSOFCOM) which has been

closely cooperating since its establishment

with the US Special Operations Command

(USSOCOM).

The Polish Special Forces are referred to as

a model example of the way in which a NATO

state has reached a level of a framework state

capable to command, carry out and support

special operations on the alliance level.

As a result, in 2014 the Polish Special Forces

Command will take the rotational command of

the Special Operations Component Command

(NATO SOCC). Presently, only 7 of the NATO

states have this capability.

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Photographs by: Bartosz Bera, Michał Chyłkowski/Military Gendarmerie, Sebastian Kinasiewicz, Marian Kluczyński/Polish Navy, Piotr Rams, Adam Roik/Armed Forces’ Operational Command

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POLISH ARMED FORCES. YOuR ARMY. - wojsko-polskie.pl · POLISH ARMED FORCES. YOuR ARMY. The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland serve to protect the national independence and the