Armed Forces
Polish MoD Discusses The National Reserve Forces Reform And The Territorial Defence Units. 11 Thousand Recruits Registered For Training
During his visit in Łódź, Deputy Prime Minister Tomasz Siemoniak visited the Voivodeship Military Staff, where, during the meeting with the officers, he stated that the Ministry notes the significant role of those units within the area of national security. Referring to the volunteers who expressed their will to take part in the trainings, head of the Polish MoD stated: “Up until now, 11 thousand persons got registered.In the second half of the year we expect various forms of activities to be organized for the above-mentioned group”.
Minister Siemoniak stated that 11 thousand persons volunteered to take part in the military training. During the second half of the year “specific actions are planned”, targeted at the persons who are willing to take part in the initiative. Siemoniak stressed the fact that the Voivodeship Military Staffs are going to play, in his opinion, the key role in the territorial defence system.
We want the Voivodeship Staffs to constitute the spinal cord of the national security system. That spine would organize the territorial defence operations, when it comes to the members of the reserve forces.
According to the information released by the Ministry of Defence, the Staffs are going to cooperate with the NGOs and with the military units, they will also support the military-profiled school programmes. The National Reserve Forces reform, which is going to enter force starting from 1st January next year, assumes that the Voivodeship Military Staff bodies would act as the main intermediary between the Ministry of Defence and the reserve forces or the pro-defence organizations.
According to the Polish MoD, it is planned that a territorial component of the Armed Forces is going to be created within three years from the moment when the reform is implemented. Initially, the structure of that component is going to be based on the Voivodeship Military Staffs, and later help would be provided by the Army Recruiting Commands. The human resources structure in the Army is also going to be changed. 110 thousand soldiers (10 thousand increase within 8 years) are going to be professionally involved in the military. At the same time, only 8 thousand soldiers of the reserve forces are going to maintain their position in the operational component. Now the latter number reaches 20 thousand. Additional territorial component (2 thousand of the National Reserve Forces members and 500 professional soldiers) is also going to be formed.
The professional soldiers, serving within this component, would take the commanding positions. They would be responsible for training and task-readiness of the elements and units of the territorial forces. The above-mentioned two thousand jobs are going to be provided to the National Reserve Forces soldiers called for training. One position is going to be taken by two or three soldiers. According to the above, the actual status of the territorial component is going to be based on 5 to 6 thousand soldiers being called for duty in a rotational manner. This contingency would be stationed within the existing infrastructure, together with the operational units.
Similar solution would be implemented in case of the 8 thousand soldiers within the operational component of the National Reserve Forces. Here, a possibility of more soldiers being in service is also considered. Due to the above, this component of the NSR would be formed by even 15.5 thousand troops.