On Friday, May 8, 2026, President of the Republic of Poland Karol Nawrocki appointed Bartosz Grodecki – a diplomat, state official, and security expert with nearly 20 years of experience in public service – as Secretary of State at the National Security Bureau and Head of the National Security Bureau. Since April 23 this year, Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Andrzej Kowalski had served as acting Head of the National Security Bureau, following Sławomir Cenckiewicz’s resignation from the post.
Photos: Marek Borawski, Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland
“We too rarely realize that security is the foundation of our development and prosperity as a national community,” the President emphasized, congratulating and thanking Bartosz Grodecki.
“Security is built from within, and this is the most important task facing you, Minister: the modernization and reform of the Polish Armed Forces, and the adoption of the most important strategic documents on the security of the Polish state, which we are awaiting, such as the National Security Strategy,” Karol Nawrocki said.
“But security also means building a system of social resilience for all Polish women and men, and, very importantly in the current geopolitical situation, responsibility toward our allies – toward those with whom Poland forms the NATO alliance, and toward allies in other security formats. These are the tasks that Minister Grodecki faces today,” the President noted.
Bartosz Grodecki, born in 1980 in Warsaw, is a diplomat, state official, and expert in security and migration policy. He is a graduate of the Faculty of Journalism and Political Science at the University of Warsaw and completed MBA studies in cybersecurity management at the Military University of Technology.
From 2020 to 2023, he served as Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, where he was responsible, among other areas, for migration and border policy, cooperation with the EU in the field of home affairs, issues relating to foreigners, citizenship, cybersecurity, and repatriation. During the crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border, he coordinated activities and presented Poland’s position internationally and in relations with partners, emphasizing the protection of the Polish state’s security, the protection of the EU’s external borders, and efforts to counter migration pressure and human smuggling. He also took part in activities related to support for Ukraine and assistance to war refugees during the crisis following the outbreak of the war. He also played an important role in the evacuation of NATO collaborators from Afghanistan after the decision to withdraw U.S. troops from the country. He cooperated with democratic circles in Belarus and Moldova.
Earlier, from 2006 to 2020, he worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, holding consular and managerial posts, including at diplomatic missions in Los Angeles, Malmö, and Stockholm. As Director of the MFA’s Consular Department, he was responsible for coordinating the work of the Polish consular service and managing crisis situations involving Polish citizens abroad.
After leaving public administration, he became involved in advisory and expert work. Since March 2025, he has been affiliated with the Sobieski Institute as an expert. In recent years, he has also shared his expertise in the defense industry, cooperating with institutions and market entities. In his public activity, he focuses primarily on state security, societal resilience, migration policy, and transatlantic and regional cooperation.
Prezydent RP @NawrockiKn wyznaczył Bartosza Grodeckiego na Szefa @BBN_PL. pic.twitter.com/EsPJKwWdX5
— Kancelaria Prezydenta RP (@prezydentpl) May 8, 2026
Prezydent RP @NawrockiKn wyznaczył Bartosza Grodeckiego – dyplomatę, urzędnika państwowego i eksperta ds. bezpieczeństwa z blisko dwudziestoletnim doświadczeniem w służbie publicznej – na Sekretarza Stanu w Biurze Bezpieczeństwa Narodowego – Szefa Biura Bezpieczeństwa Narodowego.… pic.twitter.com/rRd5jOA1gh
— Biuro Bezpieczeństwa Narodowego (@BBN_PL) May 8, 2026
#NaŻywo | Pałac Prezydencki. Uroczystość wyznaczenia Sekretarza Stanu w Biurze Bezpieczeństwa Narodowego – Szefa Biura Bezpieczeństwa Narodowego. https://t.co/aYnHe0oE7E
— Kancelaria Prezydenta RP (@prezydentpl) May 8, 2026