Territorial Defence Force (Poland)

Last updated
Territorial Defence Forces
Wojska Obrony Terytorialnej
POL Wojska Obrony Terytorialnej.svg
Military eagle
Founded1 January 2017
CountryFlag of Poland.svg Poland
Type Light infantry
Size40,000 (2025) [1]
Part of Polish Armed Forces
MottosZawsze gotowi, zawsze blisko ("Always ready, always close") [2]
Website Official website
Commanders
Commander of the Territorial Defence Forces Brigadier General Krzysztof Stańczyk [3]
Insignia
Flag [4] PL territorial defence force flag IIIRP.svg
Distinctive unit insignia
of the TDF Command
D-dztwo WOT odznk pam (2020) awers.png
Shoulder sleeve insignia (everyday uniform)
of the TDF Command
D-dztwo WOT oznk rozp (2019) mundur w.png
Shoulder sleeve insignia (field uniform)
of the TDF Command
D-dztwo WOT oznk rozp (2019) mundur p.png

The Territorial Defence Forces (TDF; Polish : Wojska Obrony Terytorialnej, WOT) are the volunteer home guard branch of the Polish Armed Forces. [5] 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, [6] [7] and was slated to reach a size of around 53,000 personnel in 17 light infantry brigades by 2021. [8] 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. [9]

Contents

History

Soldiers of the Territorial Defence Force during a military ceremony in Warsaw, 2018 Kobiety w Wojsku Polskim Swieto Wojsk Obrony Terytorialnej.jpg
Soldiers of the Territorial Defence Force during a military ceremony in Warsaw, 2018
WOT soldiers equipped with the MSBS Grot rifles and Javelin anti-tank guided missile launcher Pierwsze strzelanie WOT z systemu JAVELIN.jpg
WOT soldiers equipped with the MSBS Grot rifles and Javelin anti-tank guided missile launcher

The Territorial Defence Force is a planned reserve component of Polish Armed Forces. [10] A similar, identically named organization had existed in the country since 1965, but was disbanded in 2008 as part of a modernization program. The re-creation of the Territorial Defence Force was first announced in 2015 in reaction to the war in Donbas and concern that Poland's existing military would be ill-equipped to confront an adversary under similar conditions of low-intensity conflict. According to government officials, public reception to the idea was positive with 11,000 persons registering interest in joining the force within the first few months after the initial announcement. [11] The program was subsequently formalized with the signing of "a new document concerning the functioning of the territorial defense concept" by Minister of Defence of Poland Antoni Macierewicz in a ceremony held at Warsaw's Waldemar Milewicz General Secondary School on 27 April 2016. [12] The force was formally established on 1st of January, 2017. [13]

On 21 May 2017 the first military oath in the history of WOT took place in Białystok, Lublin and Rzeszów.

On the basis of Decision No. 140 / MON of the Minister of National Defense of 28 June 2017, TDF was declared the successor to the traditions of the Home Army National Command (1942–1945) of the Second World War, while being the de facto successor to the heritage of its forebears.

Organization

Schedule for the formation of the Territorial Defense Force Harmonogram tworzenia WOT.jpg
Schedule for the formation of the Territorial Defense Force

Plans announced in January 2016 called for what officials said would eventually become a 46,000-man contingent, though initially the WOT would consist of just three brigades sited in the north east of the country and funded with an annual appropriation of approximately €60 million; it was later reported the force would have a maximum size of 35,000 personnel. [14] [15] As envisaged, the Territorial Defence Force is to be a part-time, all-volunteer organization, with soldiers receiving 30 days of military training per year. Unlike existing reserve forces, which upon mobilization are integrated into regular components of the Polish military, the Territorial Defence Force will be designed to operate autonomously in home areas and with personnel drawn from the local population. According to Polish military planners, this set-up would be most effective in countering hybrid warfare. [14] As part of the Ministry of Defense acquisition plans for 2017–2022, the total number of volunteers was set to 50,000 and a budget of 3.2 billion zloty outlaid to arm and equip them. [16]

Besides responding to external military threats, the WOT will, according to the Defense Ministry, help strengthen Poland's "patriotic and Christian foundations". [17]

Poland is divided into 16 Voivodeships. The Territorial Defence Troops follow the administrative division with a brigade formed in each voievodship. The exception is the Masovian, which has two territorial defence brigades due to the significance of the capital Warsaw. For mobilisation duties and liaison to the local authorities there is a Voievodship Military Staff in each of the 16 voievodships and the territorial brigades' HQs are located nearby. The commander of the Territorial Defence Troops is a general officer ranking major general and the brigades are commanded by colonels.

Planned end state of the Territorial Defence Force (click to enlarge) Poland - Territorial Defence Force structure.png
Planned end state of the Territorial Defence Force (click to enlarge)

Each brigade also has a command, a support, a sapper and a logistic company, carrying the brigade's number.

Border Defence Component

The Polish Ministry of National Defence has formed a Border Defence Component (WOT Komponent Obrony Pogranicza) under the Territorial Defence Force. [18] The component will be composed of four brigades and will carry the traditions and has the same abbreviation as the Border Protection Corps of the Second Polish Republic. The western and southern land borders and the border with Eastern Prussia and the Free City of Danzig were guarded by the civilian Straż Graniczna under the Ministry of Finance. The border with the Soviet Union was guarded by the Border Protection Corps. The newly established Border Defence Component will be tasked with the military security of Poland's northeastern and eastern borders and will cooperate with the modern Polish Border Guard. It will reach initial operational capability in 2028 and full operational capability is expected in 2032. [19]

Border Defence Component of the TDF (WOT Komponent Obrony Pogranicza)

Tasks

The Territorial Defense Forces are dedicated to: [20] [21] [13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Nowe bataliony. WOT liczy już ponad 24 tys. (New TDF battalions. Number of military personnel more than 24 000)". 9 December 2019.
  2. ↑ "Terytorialsi - Misja i motto formacji". terytorialsi.wp.mil.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  3. ↑ "Gen. Kukuła już nie dowodzi WOT. Znamy następcę". 5 January 2023.
  4. ↑ "Ustawa z dnia 19 lutego 1993 r. o znakach Sił Zbrojnych Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej" [Act of 19 February 1993 on the symbols of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland](PDF). isap.sejm.gov.pl (in Polish). Internet System of Legal Acts. pp. 24–28. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  5. ↑ "Territorial Defence Forces - Ministry of National Defence - Gov.pl website". gov.pl. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  6. ↑ "Nowe bataliony WOT (New TDF battalions) - MilMag.pl". 6 September 2019.
  7. ↑ "Trzeci rok szkolenia 3. Podkarpackiej Brygady WOT - Defence24". 22 January 2019.
  8. ↑ "Rośnie stan osobowy Wojsk Obrony Terytorialnej - Defence24". 6 October 2018.
  9. ↑ Piotr, Szymański (20 March 2015). "The Baltic states' Territorial Defence Forces in the face of hybrid threats". The Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW). Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  10. ↑ "Poland to stand up Territorial Defence Force". Jane's. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  11. ↑ "Polish MoD Discusses The National Reserve Forces Reform And The Territorial Defence Units. 11 Thousand Recruits Registered For Training". Defence24. 15 July 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  12. ↑ "The Signing of the Territorial Defense Concept". mon.gov.pl. Ministry of National Defence of Poland. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  13. 1 2 Rajfur, Maciej (2023-11-21). "Wojska Obrony Terytorialnej mają w Polsce długą tradycję. Czym WOT były kiedyś, a czym są dzisiaj? Specjaliści opowiadali we Wrocławiu" (in Polish). Gazeta Wrocławska. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  14. 1 2 "Poland plans paramilitary force of 35,000 to counter Russia". BBC News . 3 June 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  15. ↑ Day, Matthew (25 January 2016). "Poland to establish 46,000-strong national guard in the face of war in eastern Ukraine". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  16. ↑ "Poland To Spend $14.5 Billion For Military Procurement From 2017-2022". DefenseWorld.net. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  17. ↑ "MON w Sejmie: Wiara chrześcijańska polskich żołnierzy gwarantem bezpieczeństwa Polski". Newsweek Polska. 10 March 2016. Archived from the original on 14 June 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  18. ↑ "MON decyduje w sprawie wschodniej granicy. Chodzi o cztery brygady wojska". www.portalsamorzadowy.pl (in Polish). 2025-11-10. Retrieved 2025-11-25.
  19. ↑ Górski, Michał (2025-10-31). "MON zatwierdził koncepcję Komponentu Obrony Pogranicza". defence24.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2025-11-25.
  20. ↑ "Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej".
  21. ↑ Burkle, Frederick M.; Goniewicz, Mariusz; Goniewicz, Krzysztof (January 2019). "The Territorial Defence Force in Disaster Response in Poland: Civil-Military Collaboration during a State of Emergency". Sustainability. 11 (2): 487. doi: 10.3390/su11020487 .
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