Polish President Wants Shield

“The Shield Needs to be THIS big”

President Komorowski has suggested that the building of a Missile Shield Defence Facility would be capable of protecting the country against air attacks. Today, two years has passed since Bronisław Komorowski’s was sworn into office. On his second anniversary, he suggested the building of a Polish Missile Shield, which would be a part of a shared shield of countries belonging to NATO. When Barack Obama assumed the presidency of the USA in 2009, the concept of building the shield changed. The USA decided against building a shield that would use long-range anti-missiles stationed in Poland, which before was suggested by George W. Bush. Komorowski convinces the Polish public that they have to have a Polish Missile Shield because spending large amounts of money on military technology is nonsense if it is not protected against the most typical and dangerous missile and air attacks.

The Polish president said that at present Poland has systems that are becoming old and less suitable for defending the country. Stanisław Koziej, the head of the National Security Bureau (BBN), explained that this system would be complementary to the elements of a system which, according to future plans, Americans would station in Poland in 2018. Parliamentary representatives are positive about the idea. According to Stefan Niesiołowski (Civic Platform), the head of the Parliamentary Defence Committee, Poland has the technical know-how to create such a system. The creation of a system of anti-missile defence in Europe is a bone of contention between Poland and Russia as well as between both the USA, NATO and Russia. Moscow considers the project to be a threat to its security. It demands that Washington give legal guarantees that the American system will not be targeted against it. The USA refuses to give such a guarantee, but NATO assures Russia that the shield will not be targeted at Russia.
Gazeta Wyborcza

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

Difficulties with Revised Shield Project

Stationed in Poland?

The visit of the American VP, Joe Biden, to Poland, his words and the revised anti-missile shield offer which he brought with him met with an optimistic response. However, there are still a number of issues that still need resolving.  As the American administration’s officials stressed yesterday, it still remains unknown just how many missiles would be located in Poland. What is known, however, is that the project’s implementation will start no sooner than 2015 and end before 2018. This timeline would reflect the successive stages of retrofitting the SM-3 missiles that have primarily been designed to be used solely on battleships. Such a distant date for implementing the revised plan is a cause for concern in Warsaw. There is also the matter of the still unresolved legal status of American soldiers stationed in Poland; an issue about which negotiations are still under way. Despite numerous declarations of the will to reach an agreement from both parties, a joint position on the soldiers’ liability is yet to be worked out. “There are some difficulties here but I hope that they will be resolved by making compromises on both sides,” said the Polish President after meeting with Biden. However, the head of the National Security Bureau (BBN), Aleksander Szczygło, was critical of the Polish PM’s optimistic declarations. “The perspective of 6 to 9 years needed for the shield to become a reality is a distant one. The PM’s statement is surprising. It is a shame that the government did not adopt the previous agreement this quickly. It is astonishing that it is agreeing to something that is very distant and drags on the talks on the status of American soldiers which is crucial for Patriot missiles to arrive in Poland along with any kind of American military presence on our soil,” commented Szczygło for Rzeczpospolita.
Rzeczpospolita

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

Missile Shield Gone, Poles Happy

No Missiles, No Threat?

According to an opinion poll by GFK Polonia, most Poles are happy that the anti-ballistic missile defence system will not be built in Poland. 48% of Poles agree that the decision taken by the United States to drop its plans was good whereas 31% think it was a bad move. Almost a quarter of Poles do not have an opinion on the matter. More than half of all Poles believe that the level of security in Poland is the same as before, while 20% feel it is lower; 8% of respondents do not know. What is interesting is that 40% of Poles believe that the US withdrawal was an act of concession to Russia and a sign of disregard for Poland, America’s ally. Almost a third of Poles believe that the decision does not mean anything to Poles because the missile shield would not increase Poland’s safety anyway.
Onet.pl

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

Polish Epidemic in Chad

Pains of Service

More than half of the Polish soldiers from the third levy in Chad are sick. The Polish military men have been infected by bacteria present in the local water. A special group of physicians has been send to Africa in order to treat the Polish soldiers. According to RMF FM they have already arrived in Chad and will liquidate the bacteria responsible for the epidemic. In all probability it is present in the water used by Polish soldiers for washing. Gazeta Wyborcza reports that 330 Polish soldiers from the third levy suffer from stomach trouble. The Ministry of Defence says that there are about 100 soldiers infected with the bacteria who are being treated with antibiotics. The Polish soldiers are suffering from a disease called giardiasis. Because Polish soldiers drink only bottled water, scientists believe that the water used for washing is the cause of the infection.
Dziennik

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

Too Few NCOs

Outdated Army

According to a report by the Supreme Chamber of Control (NIK) in Wrocław, which coordinated an inspection of training schools for non-commissioned officers,  the schools educate too few graduates, and the level of education is unsatisfactory compared to the modern needs of the army. The report includes eight such schools, in Ustka, Koszalin, Poznań, Wrocław, Łódź, Dęblin, Zegrze and Toruń. The inspection took place in 2005-2008. Spokesman for the Supreme Chamber of Control Paweł Biedziak said that the schools do not make good use of their facilities. As a result, according to Biedziak, every year there are fewer non-commissioned officers in the regular army, especially at the rank of corporal (for example, in June 2008 there was a lack of 1,820 corporals, that is 29%). Moreover, there are few non-commissioned officer instructors. “Their lack of interest in school service is due to low regular ranks and also the low salary,” claims the head of NIK Jacek Jezierski. NIK claimed that in Wrocław there were not enough training guns and grenades; in Zegrze there was a lack of portable radio stations; in Dęblin equipment from the ’60s and ’70s predominated. According to the head of the Wrocław branch of NIK Andrzej Myrta, the inspection revealed severe lacks in equipment and instructor staff. “For example, the Training School for Non-commissioned Officers of the Army in Wrocław can train 195 people, but at the moment it is training only 71 cadets,” said Myrta. He added that there is lack of training guns, grenades, binoculars and helmets in the school.
Rzeczpospolita

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

Flying Low

Super Gunship

In the late evening of 27 February, an Mi-24 D gunship from Pruszcz Gdański 49th Gunship Regiment flew out from Toruń with an assigned combat task. It was supposed to attack some designated targets on a firing ground near Toruń as an exercise before a mission in Afghanistan. However, at about 10.30 p.m. the hedgehopping gunship suddenly crashed to the ground. Robert Wagner the gunship co-pilot died, and the two remaining members of the crew were injured. The reasons for the disaster are still being investigated by a special commission of inquiry. Immediately following the tragedy, Bogdan Klich, the Minister of National Defence, announced that he will reveal the whole report concerning the disaster. Gazeta Wyborcza has gained access to some of this report. What emerges from the details is that most likely while navigating, the pilot unnecessarily used his night-vision goggles which is unacceptable in this type of gunship.

“The Mi-24 D cannot be flown using night-vision goggles,” said a high ranking officer. “These gunships are equipped with bright control panels which make it difficult for the pilot to see. What is more, it was hard for the pilot to determine the height at which the aircraft was flying,” adds the officer. Polish pilots navigate wearing night-vision goggles only when flying the Mi-24 M which is a modernized version of the Mi-24 D. The former has a control panel which can be turned off at night. This type of gunship is used by Polish soldiers in Afghanistan. However, the gunship involved in the disaster was alleged to have been adapted to such navigation after an overhaul in June. “The pilot was blinded wearing the night-vision goggles and the height he was flying at was much less than 200 metres. We already know that the pilot overestimated the height at which he was flying. The back rotor caught on a tree and then things took an unexpected turn,” says Tomasz Hypki, expert and secretary of the National Aviation Council. Both experts stress that the use of night-vision goggles in such a gunship was “unacceptable”. The special commission of inquiry investigating the reasons for the disaster will determine why the pilot used the goggles.
Gazeta Wyborcza

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

Doda – a Defender

Doda Defends

Once again Doda is in the public eye but neither because of her music nor because of her relationship with Radek Majdan. Yesterday the Polish pop star came to court in order to support the Polish soldiers accused of killing civilians in Nangar Khel. “They went to war and the Polish authorities accused them of the crime,” said a shocked Doda who wants the military men to be exonerated. Doda is attempting to convince the public that the whole case is only bringing shame on Poland. “The Americans laugh at us, everybody laughs at as,” she added. According to the public prosecutor, seven of the accused soldiers are guilty of the carnage that took place in Nangar Khel and all of them are guilty of shooting at public buildings and causing the death of civilians. For these crimes the soldiers can be sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment. None of the soldiers have confessed to being guilty. Six civilians, two women, a man and three children died in Nangar Khel and three people, including a pregnant woman, were seriously injured.
Dziennik

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

Poles Control Kabul

Poles take Kabul

It is an unprecedented event in the recent history of the Polish army – Polish soldiers will take control of an airport in a foreign country for the very first time. From April onwards, everything that happens at Kabul International Airport will be governed by 70 Polish soldiers, who are setting out for Afghanistan today. It is believed to be a large-scale operation of immense prestige, never carried out by the Polish Air Force before, according to col. Lesław Dubaj, who will take chief responsibility for the airport in Kabul. 400 soldiers from over 20 countries and 1,200 civilians will be subordinate to him. Polish soldiers will also take full responsibility for all the 350 flights every day at Kabul airport, including NATO supply and VIP flights. These will be the main priorities since every foreign contingent coming to Afghanistan stops at Kabul.

One of the officers organising Polish VIP travel to Kabul notes several major threats for the entire operation: the location of the airport (2km above sea level), the presence of dangerous summits surrounding the airport, and finally, the likelihood of a terrorist attack. The latter seems to be the most serious since the Taliban promised a huge offensive against NATO forces as soon as spring comes. Therefore, as a base for a significant number of NATO troops of central importance in Afghanistan, Kabul International Airport might prove somewhat alluring to terrorists. The airport will be controlled by Polish soldiers until September. There are a number of other key positions, apart from the commander-in-chief, to be appointed to Poles, for example, chief logistics, airborne operations and meteorological section officers. Although all Polish soldiers will formally be part of the Polish contingent, they will be subject to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
Dziennik

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

Explanation Demanded

Szczygło Getting Tough

On Wednesday, a spokesman of  the National Security Bureau informed the press that Aleksander Szczygło, head of the Bureau wants explanations concerning the planned change of the Polish military mission in Chad. This information is needed for the President to make a decision on the prolongation of the mission. On 3rd of March, the government applied to President Lech Kaczyński for an extension of the use of Polish forces in the UN mission in Chad and the Central African Republic until the end of November. Earlier, the government wanted the mission to finish at the end of May. Because of this shift, the UN will bear part of the costs as on 15th of March it is taking over the mission from the European Union. The National Security Bureau wants to know whether while the President was signing the current decision, the Ministry of National Defence knew about the UN proposal concerning the participation of Poland in a new mission. According to Szczygło, there is a concern that when roads will be impassable due to the rainy season, Polish soldiers will stuck at bases as they do not have their own air transport. It was announced that Polish soldiers will stay in Chad whereas three helicopters will be brought back to Poland.
Dziennik

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

Polish Soldier Dies in Afghanistan

Spoils of War

According to TVN 24, a Polish soldier has died in Afghanistan. The accident took place in the afternoon (around 3 p.m. local time in Afghanistan) when a Polish convoy was driving soldiers back to their base, after finishing duty in the city of Ghazni. A bus full of passengers sped out in front of the Humvee vehicle. The Polish driver quickly tried to avoid an imminent collision, but the vehicle rolled over. Warrant officer Andrzej Rozmiarek, from the 12th Mechanical Squad, died in the accident. The Military Police (ŻW) and military prosecutor will investigate the circumstances of the accident. All injured persons were immediately transported to the Ghazni base; two of them were airlifted to a hospital in Bagram, where they are being examined. The others, after having their injuries dressed, are back in the Ghazni camp. The convoy consisted of several vehicles including a Rosomak, Cougar and Humvee. According to the spokesperson the latter vehicles are used in safe areas – for example near the bases – and where it is impossible to use larger and armoured vehicles, which might destroy civilian buildings. Warrant officer Andrzej Rozmiarek was 35 and was also a company commander in Task Force White Eagle. It was his first military mission. He leaves a wife and three children.
Onet.pl

Newzar can be emailed to you directly