WOT's improvement is our concern. We want him to accomplish the completion at specified a level as we have set for him as shortly as possible – said president Marcin Ociepa at the session of the Parliamentary Subcommittee on Social Affairs in the Army. The subject of the gathering was the prospects for the improvement of territorial defence troops and voluntary essential military service.
During the committee meeting, Members took note, among others, of the figures related to the recruitment territorial defence troops and to voluntary essential military service in 2024. Brig. Gen. Arkadiusz Mikołajczyk, General Counsellor of the General Staff of the Polish Army, on behalf of the Minister of National Defence and Head of the SG WP, reported that present the Armed Forces of Poland number more than 206 1000 soldiers, and at the end of 2023 there were 191 1000 of them. He explained that this data did not only concern professional soldiers, but besides WOT soldiers, active reserve and DZSW. “In all these types of service we have an increase of about 15,000 soldiers. Professional soldiers, compared to December 2023, have more than 10,5 1000 in formation. present it is 144 991 soldiers – the general calculated.
Commander of Territorial Defence Forces Brig-Gen Krzysztof Stańczyk He recalled that this year it was 8 years since the formation of the troops he was directing. He besides pointed out that the process of forming WOT units was completed last year. At the end of 2024 there were 20 territorial defence brigades, and in their composition 70 battalions and 199 light infantry companies. In the territorial ranks of December last year, as the general said, there were 42,584 soldiers, including 6447 professional, 35,97 territorial military service and 140 active reserve. The average and post-secondary education had 44% of soldiers and a higher 33%. “Every 5th soldier in WOT is simply a woman,” said General Stańczyk. He besides added that 78.5 1000 soldiers had been trained since the beginning of the territorial defence troops. “This means that after subtracting this state, the formation added more than 42.5 1000 soldiers to the mobilization strategy of the armed forces,” the general calculated.
During the meeting, Generals Mikołajczyk and Stańczyk informed Members that the territorial defence troops were and will proceed to be active in the construction of the Shields of the East, and yet as the main entity are to take over the protection of the resulting installations. The WOT will besides be included in the crisis management strategy and will take part in training of mayors, voivodes and local authorities. General Mikołajczyk besides stressed that additional forces will should be generated from WOT soldiers to the Border Protection Component.
– All roads to the army, to all kind of military service, are led through military recruitment centres," said Colonel Krzysztof Bednarz, head of the recruitment and promotion department Central Military Recruitment Center. Summing up 2024, the officer calculated that more than 63,800 applications were received to the WCRs for admission to the voluntary essential military service and 44,400 appointments were issued; basic training began with 32,900 volunteers and finished with 27,740. Colonel Bednarz besides provided data on the appointments of volunteers from voluntary essential military service to professional service. In 2022 they were established 4244, in 2023 – 16 031 and in 2024 – 11 964.
– We want to build a strong active reserve, which present only operates with more than 1,400 soldiers. This is another goal we want to usage as trained resources in various fresh projects. Consider, too, how many erstwhile professional soldiers are in reserve without being 50 or 60 years old. These are the issues we besides think about in the General Staff," said Brig. Gen. Arkadiusz Mikołajczyk.
Plan for 2025
At the end of the parliamentary gathering of the Permanent Subcommittee on Social Affairs in the Military, its president Marcin Ociepa presented a draft work plan for the following months. In February, a proceeding of the National Defence Minister's information was planned on: the creation of a medical component of the armed forces, medical and non-medical personnel in the Military wellness Service and plans to increase individual states and investment plans in military wellness care facilities and the Military Medical Institute. In March, the committee intends to address the functioning of military pension offices and the soldier pension system. The April gathering is to be summarised military engagement in providing assistance during floods in confederate Poland in 2024. In May, the committee will address pro-defensive initiatives and the ministry's cooperation with social partners and pro-defensive organisations in shaping patriotic attitudes. In June, the meetings will be devoted to the preservation of the heritage and promotion of memorial sites under the management of the Ministry of Defence. In July, the committee plans a gathering on the conditions of service and the situation of the soldiers serving in Polish military contingents. After the vacation break, hearings were planned on: the functioning and improvement of military education, the cooperation of the ministry with NGOs – including the ZHP and the ZHR, cooperation with civilian universities and private defence manufacture companies, as well as the surviving situation and legal protection of soldiers serving on the Polish-Belarusian border.
Sabotage on his own army
During today's session of the Sejm, in consequence to questions on current issues, Cezary Tomczyk, Deputy Minister of National Defence answered the questions of MPs Marcin Bosacki and Andrzej Szewinski. Both afraid the negligence of the erstwhile government on improving the equipment of individual Polish soldiers. Mr Bosacki asked who was liable for this, and Mr Shewiński asked whether the Military Counterintelligence Service was handling the matter.
– 1 of the first decisions of Antoni Macierewicz erstwhile he took office as Minister of National Defence, and this happened on 16 November 2015, was sabotage in the Polish army, which consisted in the fact that the acquisition of uniforms for the military was abandoned. The Inspectorate of Armed Forces Support despite having financial resources for the acquisition of uniforms in 2016 and 2017, i.e. under the regulation of Antoni Macierewicz, did not receive the approval of the management of the MON for the acquisition of field uniforms," the Deputy Minister of National Defence stated. Tomczyk stressed that "he treats Antoni Macierewicz's activities in this respect as sabotage on his own army". – Antoni Macierewicz, not for the first time, was obliged by the Polish State to do a very concrete job, in this case he became the Minister of National Defence, despite the announcements of Prime Minister Beata Szydło, and he sabotaged on this subject the action he promised to protect, that is, the army of the Republic," added the politician. The Deputy Minister besides announced that this case was addressed to the Military Counterintelligence Service and would besides be addressed to the D.A.
Cezary Tomczyk noted that for 2 years Polish soldiers reported the request to receive fresh uniforms and did not receive them. From the data he presented, it appears that as a consequence of the decision of Antoni Macierewicz in 2016, the military's needs were covered by 18% and tenders for nearly a 4th of a million PLN were waived. This led to situations where 1 had to choose which soldier would receive the uniform and which 1 would not. “The uniforms went to abroad quotas, the WOT units, and the operating troops in the Polish Army were deprived of the chance to receive the uniform,” said the deputy chief of the MON.
