Małgorzata Grzegrzółka Territorial Defence Forces -...

Małgorzata Grzegrzółka

Territorial Defence Forces

The change of security environment, including, inter

alia, the Russia-Ukraine Conflict that evolves the

nature of both military and non-military threats, as

well as the changes in warfare, became an important

reason to start a discussion and to make a number of

decisions concerning strengthening Polish defence

potential.

Consequently, Warsaw Institute for Strategic

Initiative (WISI) undertook the realisation of

Programme for development of the Polish defence

capabilities – the undertaking responding to the

threats as well as challenges described above and

having the aim to prepare recommendations in the

context of the development of the key operational

capabilities of the Armed Forces of the Republic of

Poland. One of the elements of the Programme was

the debate organised by WISI on 19 June, entitled

The Shape of Territorial Defence Forces

(TDF),during which the concept of the Territorial

Defence Forces was being presented and the

discussion was held in three pannels that were

devoted to: training, equipment and cooperation of

Territorial Defence Forces with third parties1. The

analysis that you have in front of you was inspired

by the debate mentioned above and the conclusions

from it. For this reason the structure of this

document reflects, to some extent, the discussions

that were led there. In addition to the conclusions

of the WISI debate, the sources used to elaborate

this document were primarily from Polish legal

acts, the statemenents of Ministry of National

Defence, and publications.

At first, the current, intensively changing Polish

security environment, which description was based

primarily on the provisions of the Defence Concept of

the Republic of Poland, was presented. Consequently,

the review of proposed in the recent years concepts of

forming territorial defence units was provided and the

final model of the concept, developed by the Office

for the Establishment of the Territorial Defence

Forces,was presented. Directly from this model, two

further absections were identified, namely the training

and the Territorial Defence Forces equipment.

The Republic of Poland leads a peaceful policy

towards all its neighbours, however, its geopolitical

position and historical experience justify the

neccessitity of the constant care of the security of the

state, also in the military aspect. Therefore, the art. 5

of the Polish Constitution states that “The Republic of

Poalnd guards the independence and inviolability of

its territory”, defining through this the attitude of our

country2. In this context it is justified to refer to art. 26

of Constitution, i.e. “The Armed Forces of the

Republic of Poland serve to protect the independence

of the state and the indivisibility of its territory, and to

ensure the security and inviolability of its borders”3.

It is not only the most important legal act that

regulates the strenghtening of its own defence

potential, but it is also an allied commitement resultic

from art. 3 of the North Atlanctic Treaty, which states

that: “In order to achieve the objectives of this Treaty

more effectively, the Parties individually and jointly,

through constant and effective self-help, and mutual

assistance, shall maintain and develop their individual

and collective capacity to resist armed assault”4.

The roots of modern understanding of defence of the

state and the inviolability of its territory are to be

found in the work “On War” written by Carl von

Clausewitz, who devoted his whole sixth book to

defence issues. The sixth chapter of this book focuses

on the catalogue of defence measures, among which,

as the first one, Clausewitz mentioned the national

defence (Landwehr) that can be seen as protoplast of

modern Formation of Territorial Defence. Fortresses,

nations, national uprisings, mass mobilization and

allies are placed, in turn, in successive positions.The


author emphasises here the different nature of the

national defence forces depending on the state and the

conflict, reffering to the example of Prussia, which

treated this type of armies as a part of the operational

armies - which is an equivalent of using it also to

attack the opponent. Simultaenously, the author

strongly emphasises the importance of national

defence that is not used as a part of operational armies

but as a voluntary formation that, in order to work

most effectively, should rely on “(…)Voluntary

cooperation of the entire mass of people with its

physical strengths, resources and moods during the

war (…)”5.

New threats and decisions resulting from them

In mid-2016, the Strategic Defense Review (SDR),

prepared by the Ministry of National Defence, was

inaugurated.It comprehensively approached the

analysis of the current state, needs, challenges as well

as the development of the Polish Armed Forces until

2032. This study, prepared by five research teams,

comes from examining the main threats and

challenges for Poland, which are based on the

proposed new model and directions for the

development of the Armed Forces of the Republic of

Poland.

The following that are listed below have a particularly

strong influence on the subject matter of the

publication:

1. The agressive policy of Russian Federation

(RF). RF continues to recognise NATO as a

fundamental threat to its security while focusing

on its primary objective, namely: the

establishment of a new international

order(through dismantling NATO as a military

alliance and limiting US influence upon

European security) and return to the position of

the global hegemon. This is especially

dangerous for Poland and other countries from

NATO’s Eastern Flank. This situation and

various forms of destructive activities of RF

diminishthe integrity of European Union, which

is strongly divided due to, very often, differtent

interests of particular member states.

2. Instability in NATO’s Eastern and Southern

Flank– the reason for the instability in the

Eastern neighborhood of the alliance is

primarily the policy of RF. The situation in

Ukraine, Belarus and also in Moldova remains

uncertain, especially in the context of thier

potential integration (Ukraine, Moldova) or

cooperation (Belarus) with the EU structures.

The Southern Caucasus is also listed as a

potential threat to NATO in connection with the

frozen conflicts and secretive actions of the

RFthat cause instability in the regional and

internal situation.Southern Flank countries, in

turn, face conflict and unstable situation in the

Middle East and North Africa.The migration

crisis resulting from this, which is variously

perceived by particular European countries, is

still far from being resolved.Implications for

Poland related to the instability in the Southern

Flank of NATO will be associated with the

further need for allied assistance, to which

Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland have

to be prepared better than it took place in the

past6.

Rys. 1:Main challenges and threats for the Republic of Poland and

the region, Source: Own study on The Defense Concpet of the

Republic of Poland, pp. 20 – 35.

On the basis of the challenges and threats mentioned

above, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland task

list (presented in Figure 2) was developed as well as

their model and directions of development.

Main Threats

and Challenges

Russian Federation

The istability of NATO's

eastern flank region

The istability of NATO's

western flank region

Terrorism

The evolution of Western integration structures

The economic and social

environment

Technological advances and

warfare


•The dipsosing of an effective deterrence potential

•Possessing high-tech equipment, trained soldiers, and well-rehearsed procedures

•The introduction of a new command and control system during conflict and war time

The capacity to defend Poland

•Increasing the contribution towards NATO

•Activities to strengthen allied cooperation

•Readiness to participate in foreign operations

Strengthening allied

cooperation

•The support of crisis management operations both in Poland and in the territory of allied states

•Coordinating and training with non-military institutions

Interacting with other

services

Rys. 2:Task Directory AFRP, Source: Own study on.: Koncepcja

Obronna Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, pp. 38 – 39.

The model of Polish Armed Forces presented in „The

Defence Concpet of the Republic of Poland" dates

until the year 2032 and contains plans for

development of all 5 types of armed forces. The main

assumptions of this model are shown in Figure 3.

Due to the subject of this publication, particular

emphasis will be placed on the role of the Territorial

Defense Force, which appears several times in The

Defence Concept. For the most important issue

authors of the Concept consider "the ability to

cooperate in joint operation, especially operational

troops with territorial defense troops"7. The number

of such troops is expected to increase to more than

50,000 soldiers until 2030, and their maintask, as the

light infantry, is to support operational troops.

Nevertheless, irregular activities and crisis

management will also be important.

Road to the formation of the Territorial Defence

Forces

The National Defence in 1937-1939 should be

considered as the first approach to the formation of

territorial defence.Its formations – brigades, semi-

brigades and battalions -played an important role in

local operations in September 1939. On how valuable

supplement they provided for operational troops,

witnessed, inter alia, the battle of Węgierska Górka,

called Southern Westerplatte. Since 1945 - before the

end of the World War II - there were various types of

territorial defence forces in Poland. At first, these

were internal forces in the form of the Internal

Security Corpsand the Borderland Patrol Army.

In May 1959, the National Defence Committee(NDC)

adopted a resolution that spoke about organizational

changes of the armed forces in the case of war and

their development until 1965. The document for the

first time distinguished the forces of National

Territorial Defenseand defined their objectives and the

official definition8. The National Defence Committees

are based on the experience gained during the war and

the postwar analysis of threatsas well as with

reference to the arrangements of the Warsaw Pact

countries, which decided that operational troops are to

operate within the United States Armed Forces

ofWarsaw Pact. The order and security of the

functioning of the military front in the territory of

their own country are to be dealt with by separately

created internal troops9.

The organisation of the Territorial Defence Forces

was actually launched in January, 1963 by virtue

ofNational Defence Committee Resolution No. 104/62

from November 16, 1962,on the preparation of the

territorial defense of the country, the element of which

was the "Territorial Defense Operation Plan of the

Country" and the Resolution of the Council of

Ministers No. 164/63 from May 4, 1963, on the rules

of organization of Territorial Defence units.

Until 1971, the final National Territorial Defense

army consisted of the Territorial Defence Forces, the

National Defence Forces and the Territorial Defense

Force of the Navy from 1963. The system also

included internal troops(WOWew),organised on the

basis of transferring them to Ministry of National

Defence from the Department of Internal Affairs of

the Polish Armed Forces (1966), as well as the Border

Protection Army10.

Between the year 1971 and 1981 another

transformation of National Territorial Defence

Małgorzata Grzegrzółka


Rys. 3:Model of the Armed Forces in 2032, Source: Own study on: Koncepcja Obronna Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, s. 20 – 3


occured, which diminshed the potential of military

unit due to, inter alia, reforming part of WOWew

units into lower level Territorial Defence units or

transferring the Border Guard Force 1971 to the

Ministry ofInterior.

The years 1981-1988 is a time of decisive reduction of

Nantional Territorial Defence units – in the second

halfof the 1980s, a total dissolution of Territorial

Defence units was ordered (the actual dismantling was

ended in March, 1990). WOWew were finally

liquidated in 1991, while theAir Defence Forces of

State (WOPK)were separated from the National

Territorial Defence system and attached to the

operational Air Force - resulting in the formation of

the Air and Air Defence Forces11.

However, already in 1990, during the liquidation of

National Territorial Defence units, attempts were

made to reactivate Territorial Defence troops. These

units were to be modeled on the formation of internal

troops and act as the support for operational troops12.

The year 1992, in turn, brought about the

transformation of regional defence forces into

Territorial Defence units.

Regardless of that, only in 1999 the "Concept of

development of territorial defence" was adopted,

which assumed that by 2003 the army will number

about 10 thousands soldiers in times of peace,

whereas during the war they were to count 120

thousands. The concept assumed that these troops

would support the operational armies. Their expansion

was to be spread over three stages and last until 2012.

The start of the implementation of the program of

technical modernisation of the armed forces in 2001,

which was concentrated strictly on the operational

armies, caused a great limitation in the development

of the Territorial Defence force13. And so in 2002, in

the newly adopted concept of rebuilding Territorial

Defence troops, their number were reduced to 2-3

thousands in peace time and 50-70 thousand during

the war14.

At the turn of 2007 and 2008, Territorial Defence

brigades were transformed into Territorial Defence

battalions, which were later transformed into

mechanized battalions and incorporated into

operational troops - this meant that the operation

concerning Territorial Defence units in peace was

completed, and the formation of the Territorial

Defence battalions was foreseen in the mobilization

plans in case of war only.The PO-PSL coalition,

which was in rule at the time, saw the development of

the Polish Armed Forces as a major expeditionary

structure within the coalition forces and did not

recognize the need for development, neither the need

to create a formation aimed solely at the defense of

the Polish territory.

The first plans forcreation and the model of the

Territorial Defence Forces, after their dissolution in

2008, were presented by Law and Justice party even

before the parliamentary elections in 2015, namely on

4 July 2015 in Katowice during the convention

programme of Law and Justice and Poland Together

United Right.

Even then there was a desire to increase the size of the

Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland, as well as an

idea of supporting operational troops by territorial

forces was provided, which should be based on

voluntary recruitment15.

The current model of Territorial Defence Forces

Between 2015 and 2016 a total of 6 concepts relating

to the shape of Territorial Defence emerged.

Institutions that have undertaken to define needs,

aims, and the shape of the future Territorial Defence

formation were: National Defence Academy,

University of Łódź (essentially the author’s concept of

Porfessor Przemysław Żurawski vel

Grajewski),Organisation and Replenishment

Directorate J1 (along with the function of the Head of

the Board – the author’s concept of Colonel Krzysztof

Gaj),General Staff of Polish Army,

ObronaNarodowa.pl andOffice for the Establishment

of Territorial Defence. The most important

assumptions of these concepts are presented in Table

1.

Excatly this model, created by Dr. Grzegorz

Kwaśniak, the current director of this very Office,was

officially implemented. This model was partly

inspired by the other concepts presented in the above

table.

According to this model Territorial Defence Forces

possess three main tasks:

1. Strengthening the potential deterrence of the

Polish Armed Forces by supporting operational

troops;


2. Obtaining operational capabilities for independent

conduct of irregular activities (anti-crisis actions,

anti-disservice, anti-terrorist and anti-

dissemination activities).

3. Reinforcing patriotism within the Armed Forces

of the Republic of Poland16.

The exact structure of the Territorial Defence Forces

units, their equipment, and the training model should,

therefore, be subjected to the aforementioned tasks.

The most important feature emphasized by Territorial

Defence Forces creators is their multidimensional

nature - apart from the military dimension, the

Territorial Defence Forces is supposed to fulfill social,

cultural, and economic functions as well. Their

primary task in the times of peace, conflict or war

should be essentially to protect the survival of the

civilian population.

The structure of Territorial Defence Forces

The authorial concept of the use of Territorial Defence

divisions was defined by Dr. Kwaśniak as a doctrine

of saturation of the combat environment, consisting of

integrating battalions of operational troops with

companies of territorial units and creating a deeply

saturated battlefield.

Accordingly, the way how Territorial Defence Forces

works closely relates to a concept called "Permanent

Responsibility Area". The Permanent Responsibility

Areais called the territory in which the Territorial

Defence Forces unit operates during "P" and "W"

time. The reason behind is that the soldier of the

Territorial Military Service knew well the area of

action, on which it can come to protect the population

and critical infrastructure, to eliminate the effects of

natural disasters or to carry out rescue operations.

Exclusively during war time Territorial Defence

Forcesunits are meant to support the operations of the

Operational Forces, particularly when an aggressor

occupies Permament Responsibility Area - Special

Forces - by forming resistance groups, supporting the

local population and making it more difficult for the

opponent to take control of the area of action.

The Permanent Responsibility Area is the basic factor

defining the main tasks of Territorial Defence Forces

units in a given area. And so the armaments as well as

the range of training of units located in the region of

the most likely directions of the aggressor's actions

will be adapted to support the Operational Forces in

combat activities, delaying, or potentially creating

underground structures.

Territorial Defence Forces units in less exposed

regions will have the task of securing critical

infrastructure, providing capacity for main

communication lines, and securing communication

nodes so that formations moving to the frontline are

able to do so safely, organizing transport, and

collaborating with third subjects17.

The target structure of the Territorial Defence Forces

will be based on 17 brigades - one in each province -

apart from Mazovian province where two brigades

will be stationed.

Three first TD brigades have been formed so far: 1.

Podlaska Territorial Defencebrigadein Białystok, 2.

Lubelska Territorial Defence Brigadein Lublinie and

3. Podkarpacka Territorial Defence Brigade in

Rzeszowie. In May, in the current year the process

formation of successive three brigades has started, i.e.

4. Warmińsko-Mazurskiej Brigade of Territorial

Defence in Olsztyn, 5. MazowieckaBrigade of

Territorial Defence in Ciechanów i 6. Mazowiecka

Brigade of Territorial Defence in Radom.

In 2018 Territorial Defence Forces is supposed to

count around 35 thousands soldiers, whereas a year

later it is supposed to count 53 thousands - the process

of forming successive units was divided into four

stages.

In addition to soldiers serving in Territorial Military

Servicemode under six-year contracts, the Territorial

Defence Forces will also include professional soldiers

- their planned number is about 1/10 of the total

formation.

Institution Mission and objectives of TDF Service Command TDF units Armament and equipment

War Studies University *Defence and protection of certain villages, land borders and critical infrastructure; *Contribution to common civic education; *Support for civil authorities during natural disasters.

*Compulsory and voluntary military service – basic military training lasting 2-3 months; - service in reserve including one-day trainings on days off, not more often than once a month; -service in military unit after mobilisation in case of war or natural disaster or other calamity.

*The Minister of National Defence commands TDF through TDF inspectorate; *Operational command over TDF held by military district commands; *Tactical command held by Army Recruiting Command and Garrison Commands.

*Light general military units of brigade or battalion structure adjusted to operational targets and military support for civic authorities and the society.

*Small arms; *Light anti-tank weaponry; *Light anti-air weaponry; *Mine laying system; *Basic military and rescue equipment: - Vehicles: light off-road vehicles, light trucks, minibuses and motorcycles; - Machines and engineering equipment; - Pollution and infection recognition and removal; - Sanitary treatment kits; - Basic medic kits; - Basic ecological rescue equipment.

University of Lodz *Autonomous defence of the state borders; *Increase in deterrence potential.

*Such units should be based on businesses, parishes, hunting clubs, volunteer fire departments, pro-defence groups; *Draft of 700 thousand citizens into TDF; *150 thousand mobilisation groups.

*Command of the TDF should be supervised by a civic administration.

TDF units formed by the locals from the area where the unit is stationed.

*Small arms and personal weapons; *Man-portable anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons.

Organisation and Replenishment Directorate J-1

*TDF used for strictly military tasks and support of the local population; *Protection in time of natural disasters; *Protection of critical infrastructure; *Elimination of the enemy (location, encirclement, elimination).

*Two-day training every month, on weekend and once a year on a proving ground on a two-week exercise; *Creation of 380 companies, including: infantry, protection, manoeuvring, support and movement regulation.

The order will be given by the TDF command, adjusted to the nature of the threat. The command at the regional level, cooperating with the province governor, will have a certain degree of freedom.

The brigade need not be composed of battalions only, but can contain independent companies. Creation of two defence pillars: - Soldiers protecting critical infrastructure, elimination of enemy sabotage groups; - Soldiers engaged in combat with regular enemy forces.

Armaments adequate to company type: Infantry (carbine, grenade launchers, machine guns), support companies (anti-air guns, man-portable air-defence systems and anti-tank missiles, rocket-propelled grenades).

General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces

*Protection operations in time of natural disasters and support of the local population; *Military action in time of war or occupation.

*Two-day training every month, on weekend and once a year on a proving ground on a two-week exercise; *Creation of 380 companies, one in each county.

*Orders from TDF command adjusted to the threat; *Regional TDF command will be granted more freedom.

TDF composed of battalions and brigades.

Modern and older generation weapons adjusted to the needs of a company.

Obrona Narodowa.pl *Universal upbringing and

military training of the youth and reserve forces; *Immediate military support for local authorities and residents in crisis situations, during war and occupation; *Defence and protection of certain villages, land borders critical infrastructure, military infrastructure, forest areas etc.

*Drafting 80 thousand citizens; *Cyclical proving ground trainings; *Trainings in a weekend and vacation plan.

Chief command authority – National Defence Command –should have a lower level commanding positions – on regional level in provinces and on local level in counties and cities with county rights.

*Units formed in: platoons, companies and battalions; *Operating on three levels: -County; -Province; -Central.

*Number of weaponry dependent on the number of critical infrastructure, cities, road interchanges, airports and strategic resource deposits in the area; *Own equipment; *Own weaponry.

Office for the Creation of Territorial Defence

*Performing military action in cooperation with operational forces; *Protection of the civil population in time of natural disasters, property protection, search and rescue missions; *Protection of local population from destabilisation and disinformation; *Cooperation with state defence components, particularly with province governors and local government institutions.

*In companies on the county level the soldiers will go through training 30 days a year on average, once a month on weekend and once a year a few days on the proving ground; *Ultimately, 314 companies will be created. They will be grouped in 76 battalions (4-5 companies each) subordinate to province brigades (3-4 battalions). There will be 17 brigades. Two in Mazovian Voivodeiship, which is the most extensive province. Each brigade will consist of 1,5-2,5 soldiers.

*Strategic level (General Staff, TDF Command); *Operational level (17 TDF brigade commands, 17 TDF battalions); *Tactical level (TDF battalion commands, 314 TDF companies in counties).

*In each province: command of a TDF brigade; *In each city: a TDF battalion; *In each county: a TDF company.

*Equipment dependent on Permanent Area of Responsibility, e.g. maritime, mountainous, wooded environment; *Personal soldier equipment; *Shared soldier equipment.


Rys. 5:TDF construction stages, Source: Own study

Stra

tegi

cal l

evel

(n

atio

nal

) General Staff

TDF Command

Tact

ical

leve

l (D

istr

ict)

76 TD Batallion Commands

314 TD Company in districts

Stage I(2016-2018)

•3 brigades in Podlaskie, Lubelskie, and Podkarpackie districts:

Stage II(2017-2019)

• 3 brigades in: Warmińsko-Mazurskie and Masovian districts

Stage III(2018-2021)

•7 brigades in: Pomorskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Łódzkie, Świętokrzyskie, Małopolskie and Śląskie districts

Stage IV(2019-2022)

• 4 birigades in: Zachodniopomorskie, Lubuskie, Dolnośląskie and Opolskim districts

Op

erat

ion

al le

vel

(Pro

vin

cio

nal

)

17 TD brigade commands

17 TD Brigades

Rys.4:The model of TD Structure, Source: Own study on:

Grzegorz Kwaśniak, Wojska Obrony Terytorialnej w środowisku

bezpieczeństwa polski, public speech on the debate entitled: The

Shape of Territorial Defence Forces,Warsaw, 2017.

Territorial Military Servicewill be performed in two

modes as a rotating or disposable service. Rotating

service refers to providing the service during the days

which are defined by the unit commander. Disposable

service, in turn,will be performed outside the militray

unit – during such a service the soldier is ready to

appear in the rotation service at the place and time

appointed by the commander of that unit. Such call

may appear in three cases:

1. The control of mobilisation and combat

readinessof the unit;

2. Combating natural disasters or their effects in case

of counter-terrorist activities and in context of

other crisis management activities alone or in

cooperation with third parties;

3. The support of operational troops in the event of

the State’s threat.

Training

The concept of training Territorial Defence Forces

was based on the premise and the desire to create units

based on light infantry formation. Along with its

creation, the experiences of the American National

Guard, the Swedish Hemvärnet, and their counterparts

from the Baltic Sea countries were used. The

territorial, national and historical conditions of Poland

have also played a major role.

Before deeper investiagtion into the Territorial

Defence Forces training, one should also look at the

recruitment and profile of candidates. The specialists

in the areas needed by Territorial Defence units have

priority in choosing, as well as soldiers and members

of pro-military organizations. Such type of

recruitment makes many recruits having some

experience and skills from the very beginning, so that

the purpose of the training is to unify them and create

a formation with specific objectives and tasks. During

the recruitement process, the fitness potential of the

candidates is determined – however only in the third

year of training the soldier is expected to reach the

target status specified at the beginning and pass the

fitness test to a degree identical to that of a

professional soldier.

Due to the specifics of the new kind of Armed Forces

of the Republic of Poland, the training should be

examined from two perspectives, namely the

Territorial Defence Soldier perspective, as well as the


Command and Training Staff perspective.One should

take a look at the latter first. Mobile Training Teams

are responsible for training instructors and

commanders, consisiting of, inter alia, veterans,

including those who come from special forces. They

are built in Lubliniec, Warsaw, and Pruszcz Gdański.

Mobile Training Teams will specialise in trainings

with so-called green tactics, which means performing

in poorly urbanised, forested areas, and mountainous,

‘black tactics’, which refers to the urban combat and

rescue and critical infrastructure training. These teams

will operate throughout the whole Poland, depending

on the needs of Territorial Defence Forces units.

Commanders of each sub-unit will be subjected to

additional command training - this will be performed

as a group training. In the course of their duration

there will also be a methodological workshop –

preparing to conduct the training.

Territorial Defence Forces candidates can apply for

services based on their education: serial service (lower

secondary education), non-commissionedoficer

(secondary education), officer (higher education).

Officer training courses run by theGeneral Tadeusz

Kościuszko Military Academy of Land Forces– and in

this way 27 second-lieutenants after half-year training

(until mid-2017) were promoted to officers and

staffed by Territorial Defence Forces personnel.

In General Tadeusz Kościuszko Military Academy of

Land Forcesthere are still 66 future Territorial

Defence Forces officers, civilianswho took the

military oath in November 2016. Their course lasts

one year, and the officer's promotion will take place in

the Autumn of 2017.

During the training the main focus is put on practical

skills - getting used to weapons, their handling and

using.

The training of Territorial Defence Forces soldiers is

divided into three stages and goes in two ways.

Namely, the practical element occurs - in the barracks

or other area of militray practice, and in the theoretical

dimension concerning remote education with the use

of e-learning platforms and the person’s own work

(self-education + self-improvement).

The first stage of training is the initial training (basic),

lasting 16 days, for volunteers with no previous

experience in Armed Forces of the Republic of

Poland. Its purpose is to teach the basic principles of

survival on the battlefield. Properly compensatory

training for reservists will last only 8 days and is

intended to standardise the level of training of reserve

soldiers.

After the first “sixteens” (as colloquially is called

basic training for soldiers without experience) more

can be said about their course.During the training,

soldiers learned about the basic principles of fighting

and the safe use of the weapons, and began shooting

with live ammunition. Training and exercises begin

with purely theoretical learning; including, inter alia,

the art of marching, drawing on the boards, but also

attack, masking or the particular behavior in the case

of attack. The first days of training are also strongly

focused on getting used to guns, without ammunition

in the first place, and in the second place, as practical

exercises in shooting range with blindfolded

ammunition, which aim at getting familiar with both

weapons and individual responses to shots. Emphasis

is placed on practicing accuracy, taking the right

posture, and then shooting, which takes place during

both day and night.

An additional important issue during the basic training

is the studyof survival in the unknown field and the

rescue of the battlefield. The training ends in a tactical

loop where the volunteers’ knowledge gained during

trainings is checked in the classroom.

The next stage is the core training which is divided

into three segments:

➢ Individual - lasting one year - focusing on

didactics, inter alia, in the field of medical care

and general military knowledge. The individual

segment is also a sort of selection for subsequent

stages;

➢ Specialist - assignment to a specific function and

development of specialist skills;

➢ Compatibile – action coordinated within battle

groups, including the division into 4 specialised

companies: general (field), urban (urbanised

area), aquatic (also flood control) and mountain.

Also the individual training of the first Territorial

Military Service soldiers has already started, so one

can tell about the first experiences of their course.

An important element with which Territorial Defence

Forces soldiers initially familiarize themsleves is


SERE. This is a training that aims to teach the soldier

to survive in all conditions. The name comes from the

first letters: Survival (survival in hostile environment),

Evasion (counteracting the enemy's capture),

Resistance (counteracting in the case of capitivity),

and Escape (escaping or reaching the home unit).

SERE training is conducted at three levels - A, B, and

C. Each is a continuation of lower level training but

with an increase in complexity and difficulty.

While level A will be covered by all Territorial

Defence Forces soldiers during the first year of

training (as a part of individual training), level B is

scheduled for year II of training and will cover all the

light infantry companion soldiers. By contrast, level C

will only cover snipers.

The aforementioned Territorial Defence Forces Light

Infantry Company with a variety of action profiles,

depending on the Permanent Responsibility Area,

which means that the place of their formation will

perform various functions.In line with the concept of

Territorial Defence Forces forming units of,

thePermanent Responsibility Area will be set by the

administrative borders of the country at the company

level, and in the case of large cities, municipalties.For

example, in aquatic profile companies the training will

be extended to water and land rescue as well

asmarking ford and crossings, and the exercises will

also include the organisation of evacuations and the

provision of water to the population in the event of

catastrophic or natural disasters of a non-military

nature.

Great emphasis during the training is also put on the

life saving in the battlefield. Combat medics will be

one of the most common military specialties in the

Territorial Defence Forces. Two - older and younger

lifeguard - will perform at the level of each so-called

"Wonderful Twelve", which is the team of light

infantry. Specialist training of combat medics will

include the first year of service in the basic medical

course to which all Territorial Defence Forces soldiers

will be subjected. The second year, the one which is a

specialization, will be used as a platform for field

fighters to participate in Tactical Combat Casualty

Care (TCCC) courses - this is the basic course of

medical help in combat conditions and Combat

Trauma Management (CTM) - the advanced field of

combat medicine.

In later years, after already performed the 3-year

training, selected fighters of the battlefield will

undergo further courses, including, inter alia,

Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support Provider

Course (ACLSPC) - Advanced adult, Prehospital

Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) - Injury Prevention

Course in pre-hospital care, as well as others.

As a part of supporting operational troops, Territorial

Defence Forces soldiers are expected to acquire

capabilities, such as:minefieldand the use of

environmental conditions when flooding the land

orreceivingspecial forces, airborne forces, as for

example, aircraft guidance or aircraft use, are used.

Among other things, in order to acquire these skills by

the soldiers, Territorial Defence Forces Centre in

Siedlce will be set up next year, and additionally two

subdivisions in the New Town over Pilica and

Wrocław.

By the mid of 2017, the training sessions through

whichTerritorial Military Service soldiers undergo are

focused on the basics and familiarity with the field,

and the survival on this field, as well as getting used

to the weapons and training of rescuers. This type of

training at the initial stage of Territorial Defence

Forces formation seems to be justified, given the

specificity of volunteers who mostly had non-military

experience. Also, one of the leading tasks of

Territorial Defence Forces, namely the support of

operational troops, justifies this type of

action.Territorial Defence Forces units are produced at

a very fast pace, which should be perceived as

positive signs, because this means that the action is

going according to the plan. However, the haste poses

some challenges that will most likely impact the

successive stages of the formation of the Territorial

Defence Brigade when there will be more

volunteers.The basic problem is the inadequate

training infrastructure, as in Poland there is a

relatively small shooting ranges density where these

soldiers could train - there is, therefore, a need for

cooperation with other state agencies and with

individuals and private companies.

Another problem, observed during the training

process, is that training grounds where Territorial

Defence Forces soldiers should train are taken by

operational troops and rather, despite joined exercise,

Territorial Defence Forcesalone will not have an

opportunity to make use of them.


1 096 904 mln PLN( Total Budget of TDF in 2017)

831 208 mln PLN -central material plans

265 696 mln PLN - other expenses

The soultion towards the problem of low density of

shooting ranges as well as the training infrustructure is

the construction of the Training Center in Siedlce as

well as two subdivisions (in New Town over Pilica

and in Wrocław) in the first place. In the second place,

Titorial Defence Forces supplies with combat field

simulators, trainers and video shooters will be needed

in order to solve two problems - soldiers will be able

to train in any weather and the infrastructure provided

will enbale to conduct more effective training.

This solution is sensible and should be implemented,

although under certain conditions of which the most

important one is the financial condition. In 2017, more

than one bilion PLN of the Ministry of National

Defence budget was spent on Territorial Defence

Forces, by the end of 2019, the whole sum is supposed

to reach 3,4 billion PLN – Territorial Defence Forces

is supposed to spend these sums on the beginning,

development, and the creation of strong foundations

of a new type of Polish Armed Forces. However,

these costs have to be accurately calculated – whether

they are able to provide proper construction for

Territorial Defence Forces infrastructure, equip and

arm the new formation, as well ascover emoluments,

etc. The actual plan (from 2016) of financing TDF

embraces the period of time until the year 2019 – it is

important to mention that the plan is presented

financially only – without publicly handing over

operational needswhich will have to be fulfiled until

2019. Additionally, it is required to analyse the needs

of TDF for the coming years - already after the

consistunalisation of a new kind of armed forces and

to include them as a permanent element in the

Technical Modernisation Program of the Polish

Armed Forces.

The training model described above, according to

rudimenatry information coming from Ministry of

National Defence, has a temporary character. The

plans assume that stationary, 9-weeks, basic course of

light infantry (corresponding to the framework of the

main military service) will be launched in the future,

which aftercompleting the training in the current

system, will have to be completed by all applicants for

TDF service. Taking this fact into the consideration, it

is of even bigger importance now to analyze the

training infrastructure and equipment, so that what is

bought for the present training is not considered

redundant in the future model.

Equipment

The already mentioned structural model of Territorial

Defence Forces, and particulraly the profile of the

sub-division and the individual soldier, will decide

abouth soldiers’ equipment and armament.

The Secretary of State for Armaments and

Modernization of the Armed Forces of the Republic of

Poland announced in December 2016, that over 1

billion PLNwas secured in the Ministry of National

Defence budget for Territorial Defence Forces funds

in 2017.

Rys. 5:Division of TDF funding in 2017, Source: Own study.

831 208 mln PLN from this sumwill be spent on so-

called central material plans,including, inter alia, the

purchase of military equipement, material resources or

building infrastructure. However, a smaller sum of the

total amount, i.e. 265 696 mln PLN, will be devoted to

the maintenance of professional soldiers' personal

status, as well as the practice exercises of reserve

soldiers holding territorial assignments (including

endowments, nourishment, transport for practicies,

readiness allowances or contributions for health

insurance).

Before the issue of concrete equpimenet for Territorial

Defence Forces soldiers will be solved, one should

look at the Territorial Defence Forces weapon

acquisition procedure, as it differs from the standard

procedure that is adopted for operational troops.


According to decision No 92 / MON of the Minister

of National Defences from April 28, 2017, on the

acquisition of Territorial Defense Force military

equipment, it is the Commander of the Territorial

Defence Forceswho will be responsible for analysing

the functioning of the TDF and will identify the need

of acquiring military equipment. This aspect alone

already limits the role and competence of the Chief of

Staff of the General Staff Office of Polish Army,

which deals with this process in the case of the rest of

the Polish Armed Forces18. Also, the role of the

Armaments Inspectorate, which in the case of other

Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland is

responsible for the analytical-conceptual phase in the

process of acquiring armaments, will be reduced for

other types of Armaments of Armed Forces. Its role

will be limited to the realisation of the task, and the

analytical-concept phase will move into the

competence area of the Territorial Defence Forces

Commander.

The proposal for the acquisition of Territorial Defence

Forces equipment will be forwarded by the

commander to apprise it by three institutions, i.e. to

the appropriate Functional System Organiser

(Organizatorowi Systemu Funkcjonalnego),which is

Head of the Armed Forces Development Planning and

Training Directorate J5,Material Expenditure

Directorate J8).The proposal, along with the above

mentioned organisational cells of the Ministry of

National Defence, is proffered for the confirmation by

the Territorial Defence Forces Commander directly to

the Ministry of National Defence. This is another

important change in comparison to the rest of Armed

Forces of the Republic of Poland kinds,where the

commander of Ministry of National Defence approves

similiar proposals only when the estimated cost of

acquiring new military equipement exceeds 100 mln

zl – those proposals which do not reach such cost

level are handed to the Secretary of State for

Armament and Modernisation of the Polish Armed

Forces.19 The worrying fact is that the negative

opinions of the proposing cells do not fundamentally

hinder the approval of the Minister of National

Defence when approving it - there is full freedom

here.

The other apparatus, appearing to be and important for

its range of tasks, namely the Operational Commander

of the Types of the Polish Armed Forces, is not at all

involved in the whole process, even as a consultative

body, which is disturbing, although it may be related

to the expected change in Command and Control of

Systems Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland in

the nearest future – in this case the consultative

body,due to the aquisition of duties should become the

Training and Command Inspectorate or another

competent body designated for that purpose. Leaving

full freedom to the Ministry of National Defence in

the decision making process concerning equiring

Territorial Defence Forces equipment seems to be an

advisable solution in the eraly phase of building these

troops, due to the tight schedule and a big rush in the

process of forming them – this may help in more

effective and quicker way to build solid basis of

Territorial Defence Forces – in contrast to the rest

sorts of Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland,

where the aquisition process of equipment is very

compicted and may take years to be finished.

However, monopoly in the decision-making process,

as well as non-binding opinions of Ministry of

National Defence cells, can cause negative attitude of

the society and even more controversy around already

complicated and delicate tender processes.

The Commander of the Territorial Defence

Forcesapplication approved by the Minister along

with the technical documentation, as well as the

inclusion of the task of acquiring the equipment in the

central material plan, are the basis for the

commencement of the procurement procedure by the

producer - Armaments Inspectorate.

The purchase of equipment for Territorial Defence

Forces will be based on the prescriptions of the Act

from 29, January, 2004 - Public Procurement Law,

however, as in the case of other types of Polish Armed

Forces in the context of purchases made to protect the

essential interests of state security, the the Minister of

National Defence (MoD) Decision No. 367/MON of

14 September 2015 on the rules and mode of granting

contracts at the MoD regarding essential state

security interests.In case of the need to acquire

equipment in the mode of urgent operational need, the

TDF Commander initiates the whole process and the

decions about the purchase, upon the motion of Chief

of Armed Forces of Polish Army,undertake the

Minister of National Defence.This record is also

different in comparison to other types of Polish

Armed Forces, where this is the Commander of the


Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland who puts

forward a motion, here, to the Secretary of State for

Armament and Modernization of the Polish Armed

Forces, and only informing the Head of the Polish

Armed Forces20.

Decision No. 92 / MON on the acquisition of military

equipment and services for the Armed Forces of the

Republic of Poland refers to Decision No. 141 / MON

(former Decision No. 72 / MON) on matters not

regulated by it, inter alia, regarding the regulations

concerning exploitation phase of armaments or the

process of acquiring equipment under developmental

work, which is conducted outside the Ministry of

National Defence, for example, in the National Centre

for Research and Development.

The release of a separate decision of the Ministry of

Defence on acquisition of equipment, instead of

amending already existing ones - No. 92 / MON,

currently No. 141 / MON is even more

incomprehensible. It is not known what was the

premise of the Ministry of National Defence to issue a

separate document - yet it causes chaos and less

coherence in the already complicated process of

obtaining equipment for the Polish Army.

Nevertheless, as mentioned earlier, this may be a

positive solution at the beginning of the formation of

TDF. However, at the end of the formation process,

Decision No 92 / MON should be incorporated into

Decision No. 141 / MON, contributing to its

amendment and more lucidity, as well as to harmonise

existing legislation for all types of Polish Armed

Forces.

Taking into account that the first and most important

task of TDF is defending (especially in the form of

operational support),and taking into account the

training model as well as the military structure and

equipment of soldiers, TDF should be adjusted to

these.

Information on Territorial Defence Forces equipment

is provided by the Commandas well as by Ministry of

National Defence released ad hoc. Accordingly, it is

difficult to analyse them holistically. There is also no

specific plan, neither timatabled information on

tenders which the public opinion couldobtain.

Only publicly available information has been

collected in this publication. However, it should be

noted that Territorial Defence Forces plans and

operational needs should be documented in a single

document, together with the timetable and the number

of specific equipment - as a model for other types of

forces - not only for the given year, plans should be

written at least a dozen or so years ahead. It is to be

hoped that the situation is temporary until the final

formulation of Territorial Defence Forces.

The present concept assumes the operation of light

units - in large part by means of small subdivisions,

therefore, there are no plans to equip TDF with

heavier artillery systems at this point.

The basic TDF subdivision is to be a 12-person

infantry squad ("Wonderful Twelve") composed of:

commander, deputy commander, sharp shooter, scout,

senior sapper, younger sapper, older medic, younger

physician, older radiotelephonist, younger

radiotelephone, older shooter and junior shooter. On

the brigade level, in turn, there are support

subdivisions, including:snipers, operators of anti-tank

missiles or mortars.

The first Territorial Defence Forces equipment

contracts have already been finalised, including man-

portable air-defence system (MANPADS), "Piorun"

(1300 missiles and 420 launchers), as well as

optoelectronic equipment or individual soldier

equipment. Assult rifles 5.56 mm BERYL (mini

BERYL) were purchased for TDF equipment. It is

also planned to purchase carbinesto the family of

Modular Weapon Systems 5,56mm caliber (MSBS-

5,56), as well as the PR-15 Ragun guns and the UKM-

2000P machine guns UKM-2000P.The public was

also informed about the planned armament of each

TDF company in 12.7 mm large-caliber sniper rifles

(in particular useful with the support of operational

armies due to the possibility of lifting live force at

distances of up to 2 km as well as lightly armored

vehicles and destroying sensitive external components

of the more advanced military equipment, mainly

optical). It is also planned to acquire light sniper

rifles.

The Armament Inspectorate (AI) is leading with ZM

Tarnow talks on the purchase of more than 600 LM-

60D mortars for the operational armies and Territorial

Defense Force.At the moment, there are no plans to

introduce mortars with a caliber greater than 60 mm in

to TDF. In February, AI also announced that it

intended to conduct a technical dialogue on a


Reloadable shoulder-fired multipurpose support

weapon. From information provided by Ministry of

National Defence and the Command of Territorial

Defence Forces (DWOT) it can be concluded that the

procedure is also prepared for Territorial Defence

Forces, while paying special attention to it.

The purchase of anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) is

also under consideration. In 2016, among others for

Territorial Defence Forces, as one of the priorities of

the Technical Modernisation Plan,‘Pustelnik’ Light

Anti-Tank Missile Program was accepted. Its launch

is scheduled for 2018. There are also analysis led on

the acquisition of anti-tank guided missile launchers

along with dedicated ammunition, codenamed

Karabela. This is where the misslies from the Spike or

Pirate ‘family’ are considered. The ability to combat

the equipment of the enemy is to be achieved through

the use of ATGM and large-caliber rifles as a key

element of supporting individual armaments of

Territorial Defence Forces soldiers.

A loitering munition designed for single use for

transferring cargo and destroying a target (small

combat drones) is also considered. Apart from these,

reconnaissancee will also be introduced (in the

Information Support Groups), which are expected to

acquire and confirm information obtained from other

sources.

Transport for TDF will be provided by Jelcz LLC,

with which a contract was signed for trucks of

medium capacity and high mobility Jelcz 442.32along

with logistic and training packages. Jelcz 442.32 are

to be delivered in the box version with benches and

mantle (tarpaulin). The agreement is to be

implemented in the years 2017-19. Mountain

subdivisions are supposed to be provided with quads

or snowmobiles –there is, however, no information in

what number.

It appears, by analysing the public information, that

Territorial Defence Forces equipment directs this

formation mainly to the support of operational troops.

It seems that the support of these troops to

theTerritorial Defence Forces is to be provided in a

targeted way within the framework of the Permanent

Responsibility Area.It also appears that Territorial

Defence Forces will primarily serve as a combat

support - at this point, information on equipment

already being implemented or being tested does not

show exactly how Territorial Defence Forces is going

to help local communities in crisis situations

(bypassing medical care and transportation). In this

aspect,Territorial Defence Forces will have to rely

heavily on cooperation with other militaryservices

operating in Poland.

Joint tenders for certain types of equipment, as well as

ongoing exercises, will undoubtedly facilitate future

Territorial Defence Forces activities with operational

troops.

1 W Warszawie o kształcie Wojsk Obrony Terytorialnej – konferencja Warszawskiego Instytutu Inicjatyw Strategicznych, Warsaw Institute for Strategical Initiative, http://wiis.org.pl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=82:w-warszawie-o-ksztalcie-wojsk-obrony-terytorialnej-konferencja-warszawskiego-instytutu-inicjatyw-strategicznych&catid=11&lang=pl&Itemid=125. 2 Constitution of the Republic of Poland from April 2, 1997 (Dz.U. nr 78, poz. 483). 3 Ibidem. 4 North Atlantic Treaty made in Washington, April 4, 1949. (Dz.U. 2000 nr 87 poz. 970). 5 Carl von Clausewitz, O wojnie, tłum. Augustyn Cichowicz, Leon Koc, wydawnictwo Mireki, s. 281-282. 6 The Defense Concept of the Republic of Poland, Ministry of National Defense, Warsaw 2017, pp. 20 – 35. 7 The Defence Concept of the Republic of Poland, Ministry of National Defence, Warsaw 2017, p. 43. 8Uchwała KOK z dnia 14.05.1959 r. w sprawie stanu organizacyjnego Sił Zbrojnych na wypadek wojny oraz ich rozwoju w latach 1959-1965, CAW 1806/92/1, k. 11 i 13. 9 Jerzy Kajetanowicz, Wojska Obrony Terytorialnej Kraju w systemie bezpieczeństwa Polski w latach 1959-1989. „Poligon”. 2(37)/2013, s. 5, 2013. Magnum-X 10Jerzy Kajetanowicz. Wojska Obrony Terytorialnej Kraju w systemie bezpieczeństwa Polski w latach 1959-1989. „Poligon”. 2(37)/2013, s. 6-7, 2013. Magnum-X. 11Jerzy Kajetanowicz, Koncepcje i plany rozwoju Wojsk Obrony Terytorialnej w Polsce po 1945 roku, „Ante – Portas – Studia nad bezpieczeństwem” nr 2(7)/2016,


12Ryszard Jakubczak, Współczesne wojska obrony terytorialnej, 13http://orka.sejm.gov.pl/Biuletyn.nsf/31a5e0f7750d0317c1256b2900339858/2746c11a125b6008c1256ffa0045ec45?OpenDocument 14http://militarium.net/wojska-obrony-terytorialnej-w-polsce-w-latach-1990-2008-czesc-i/ 15Myśląc Polska, Konwencja Programowa Prawa i Sprawiedliwości oraz zjednoczonej prawicy, Katowice 3-5 lipca 2015 r., Materiały konferencyjne, s. 96-97. 16Dr Grzegorz Kwaśniak, Wojska Obrony Terytorialnej w środowisku bezpieczeństwa polski, Debate on the shape of TD, Warsaw, Poland, June,2017. 17 The equipment and training of TDF units will be described in more detail in the latter part of this publication. 18 Decyzja Nr 141/MON Ministra Obrony Narodowej z 5 lipca 2017 r. w sprawie systemu pozyskiwania, eksploatacji i wycofywania sprzętu wojskowego Sił Zbrojnych Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (Dz. Urz. MON 2017 poz. 149) 19Ibidem 20Ibidem, Attachment no. 1

Małgorzata Grzegrzółka Territorial Defence Forces -...

Documents

Transcript of Małgorzata Grzegrzółka Territorial Defence Forces -...