Online Encyclopedia
Military of Poland
| Polish Armed Forces | |
|---|---|
| Military manpower | |
| Military age | 18 years of age |
| Availability | males age 15-49: 10,354,978 (2003 est.) |
| Reaching military age annually | males: 343,500 (2003 est.) |
| Military expenditures | |
| Dollar figure | $3.5 billion (FY2002 est.) |
| Percent of GDP | 1.71% (FY2002 est.) |
The armed forces of Poland consist of the Army (Wojsko), Navy (Marynarka) and Air Force (Lotnictwo) branches and are under the command of the Ministry of Defense (Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej).
Polish military forces are the origin of the two-fingers salute.
| Contents |
Organization
The combined Polish armed forces consists of 135,000 active duty personnel and in addition 450,000 reserves. The armed forces are made up of conscripts who serve for a period of 12 months, and professional soldiers. Personnel levels and organization in the different branches are as follows (2004):
- Army: 87,877 (3 Mechanized Divisions and 1 Armoured Division)
- Air Force: 31,147 (Air and Air Defense Corps)
- Navy: 15,976 (1 Battle Fleet, 2 Coastal Defense Brigades)
Equipment
The Polish military continues to use mostly Soviet-era equipment, however after joining NATO in 1999 Poland has begun upgrading and modernizing its hardware to Western standards. The General Staff has been reorganized into a NATO-compatible J/G-1 through J/G-6 structure. Recent modernization projects include the acquisition of F-16 fighter jets from the United States, Leopard 2 MBTs from Germany, ATGM technology from Israel (as well as possible future acquisition of Rafael Python 5 and Arrow missiles), and Patria AMV 8x8 AFVs from Finland. Equipment statistics for the branches are as follows:
- Army: 918 MBT, 1359 AFV/APC, 1092 Artillery (120mm or greater ), 170 Army Helicopters.
- Air Force: 97 Fighter, 232 FGA/Training, 173 Transport/Helicopter.
- Navy: 1 Destroyer, 5 Corvette, 9 Frigate, 3 Submarine, 57 Auxillary, 79 Navy Aircraft.
Mission
The most basic goal of the armed forces is the defense of Polish territorial integrity, and Polish interests abroad. Poland's national security goal is to further integrate with NATO and other west European defense, economic, and political institutions via a modernization and reorganization of its military. Polish military doctrine reflects the same defense nature as its NATO partners. Poland continues to be a regional leader in support and participation in the NATO Partnership for Peace Program and has actively engaged most of its neighbors and other regional actors to build stable foundations for future European security arrangements. Poland is also playing an increasingly larger role as a major European peacekeeping power in the world through various UN peacekeeping actions.
Recent Operations
Polish Armed Forces took part in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, and since then have 2,500 soldiers in the south of that country, and command of the 17-nation Multinational force in Iraq. In addition to this, Polish soldiers are currently deployed in five separate UN Peacekeeping Operations (UNDOF, UNIFIL, SFOR, AFOR and KFOR) with a total of approximately 2,200 troops, on top of the 2,500 soldiers in southern Iraq. Total international deployment of Polish military is 4,700 troops.
Current Deployment (2004):
- Iraq: Operation Iraqi Freedom - 2,500 soldiers
- Kosovo: International Kosovo Force (PMU/KFOR) - 800 soldiers
- Lebanon: UN Interim Force (PMC/UNIFIL) - 632 soldiers
- Golan Heights, Syria: UN Disengagement and Observation Force (PMC/UNDOF) - 355 soldiers
- Balkans: Stabilization Force (PMU/SFOR) - 300 soldiers
- Albania: International Force in Albania (PMU/AFOR) - 140 soldiers
References and Links
- Poland
- Official Website of the Polish Air Force
- Official Website of the Polish Army
- Official Website of the Polish Ministry of Defense
- Official Website of the Polish Navy