NATO forces in Poland consist of both Polish and allied units. Poland joined NATO in 1999.
Polish forces include: [1] [2]
The first NATO allied units arrived in Poland in 2017. [3] [4] [5] (Previously, allied units were not stationed on Polish territory, although they did take part in military exercises, such as Anaconda, Dragon or Noble Jump exercises in the mid-2010s; such exercises are still taking place, e.g. Defender Europe in 2020). [6] [7] [8] They include:
In 2019, the size of allied units in Poland was estimated at around 5,000. [10]
The size of the NATO units in Poland occasionally fluctuates when NATO training exercises are held on Polish soil.
NATO in presence in Poland has been temporarily increased during the 2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis.
The Polish Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej. In 2014 it consisted of roughly 26,000 military personnel and about 475 aircraft, distributed among ten bases throughout Poland.
The Land Forces are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 110,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stretches back a millennium – since the 10th century. Poland's modern army was formed after Poland regained independence following World War I in 1918.
Pistolet maszynowy wz. 39 Mors was a Polish submachine gun designed by Piotr Wilniewczyc and Jan Skrzypiński between 1936 and 1938. It was to have become the standard submachine gun of the Polish Army some time in the 1940s. However, its production was halted by the 1939 Invasion of Poland and World War II.
The Jednostka Wojskowa Komandosów, commonly called JWK and formerly known as 1 Pułk Specjalny Komandosów, is one of six special forces units currently operating within Poland's Centrum Operacji Specjalnych - Dowództwo Komponentu Wojsk Specjalnych. JWK was formed in 1961 and is the oldest still active Polish special operations unit. The unit is located in Lubliniec, Poland.
Allied Command Transformation (ACT) is a military command of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), formed in 2003 after restructuring.
The Polish People's Army constituted the second formation of the Polish Armed Forces in the East in 1943–1945, and in 1945–1989 the armed forces of the Polish communist state, ruled by the Polish Workers' Party and then the Polish United Workers' Party. The communist-led Polish armed forces, allowed and facilitated by Joseph Stalin, were the result of efforts made in the early 1940s in the Soviet Union by Wanda Wasilewska and Zygmunt Berling.
Polish General Staff, formally known as the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces is the highest professional body within the Polish Armed Forces. Organizationally, it is an integral part of the Ministry of National Defence and the Chief of the General Staff is the highest ranking military officer at the Ministry. It was created in 1918, and for a time bore the name Main Staff. Currently General Wiesław Kukuła holds the position of Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces.
The Special Troops Command is the special forces command of the Polish Armed Forces. The command was formed in 2007 and is the fourth military branch of the SZ RP.
Polish–Romanian relations are foreign relations between Poland and Romania.
The FB MSBS Grot is a family of modular assault rifle developed and manufactured by FB "Łucznik" Radom. Early prototypes were known as the MSBS-5.56 Radon.
The Polish Army Medal was established by Poland on 3 September 1999 to recognize service to the Polish Army by foreign civilians and military personnel. The medal is presented in three grades Gold, Silver, and Bronze by the Polish Minister of National Defence. Most awards are presented to members of allied armed forces, but the medal is also awarded to civilians who contribute to promoting the history and traditions of the Polish Army outside of Poland.
The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland, also called the Polish Armed Forces and popularly called Wojsko Polskie in Poland, are the national armed forces of the Republic of Poland. The name has been used since the early 19th century, but can also be applied to earlier periods.
The Territorial Defence Force – TDF is the fifth military branch of the Polish Armed Forces, following Land Forces, Air Force, Navy and Special Forces. The force is made up of professional and part-time volunteer soldiers, forming part of the country's defence and deterrence system. Formed in 2016, it had reached 24,000 personnel by July 2019, and was slated to reach a size of around 53,000 personnel in 17 light infantry brigades by 2021. The creation of the Polish TDF relates to the reforms in the Baltic states' Territorial Defence Forces to provide response during the early stages of a hybrid conflict.
The Armed Forces General Command is a joint command of the Polish Armed Forces, responsible for the combat training and readiness, supply, personnel and technical complement of military units of the armed forces during peace and crisis. It holds administrative command of the units, which are transferred under the operational control of the Armed Forces Operational Command. The current General Commander is Lt Gen Wiesław Kukuła (pl). It is subordinated to the Chief of the General Staff.
The Armed Forces Operational Command "General Bronisław Kwiatkowski" is one of the two main command bodies of the Polish Armed Forces. It is responsible for operational command of the forces. The other main command is the Armed Forces General Command, responsible for the readiness of the forces.
Falanga is a Polish national radical organization which was founded in January 2009. It is led by Bartosz Bekier, former coordinator of the Masovian Brigade of the National Radical Camp (ONR).
Since Estonia joined NATO in 2004, Estonia has participated in many joint military operations using its Estonian Defence Forces. Estonia has also participated in NATO-led military and peacekeeping operations before 2004.
TELDAT is a Polish company established in 1997, headquartered in Bydgoszcz. It operates in the arms industry with a focus on electronics, information technology, and telecommunications. The company is actively involved in research and development in the fields of information technology and electronics. TELDAT specializes in designing and manufacturing data communications systems, computers, software, and data transmission devices, particularly for military applications.
Podlaskie-Masurian Border Protection Forces Brigade was a brigade of Border Protection Forces serving on the Polish-Soviet border with headquarters in Bema District in Białystok.