On Wednesday, January 14, a meeting was held at the Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship Office in Olsztyn between Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and Warmian–Masurian Voivode Radosław Król, along with representatives of local government and the command leadership of the Warmia–Masuria region.
Photos: Krzysztof Niedziela/MOND
“I would like to begin by thanking you for your service. There are many moments when tasks must be carried out and objectives achieved, but there is also a moment when your commitment should be recognized, together with the General Commander, the Commander of the Multinational Corps Northeast, and the brigade commanders – both the multinational brigade and our own Amber Division. We wanted to sincerely thank you for your work across many areas: from professional military service, through Territorial Defence service, recruitment, counterintelligence protection, land management, infrastructure, procurement, and logistics units. I thank all the units present here for what you do, because it is truly impressive,” Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said during the meeting with representatives of local government and commanders from the Warmia–Masuria region.
“Thank you for your service on the border. You will conclude it on January 30; you began it on July 30 as a division by assuming command of Operation ‘Safe Podlasie.’ The change in philosophy that we introduced in August 2024 has produced tangible results. The management of border security is now different. I know you had taken part in these operations earlier as detached units or as personnel delegated to serve on the border, but it is a different situation altogether when an entire division assumes responsibility – and for that I thank you very much. The past several weeks have been the calmest period on the Polish–Belarusian border since 2021. This is the result of several factors. (…) Vigilance, rapid reaction forces, patrols, both fixed posts, of which there are around 200, and mobile patrols, as well as constant cooperation with the Border Guard. I am pleased that a representative of the Border Guard is with us today, because it is a sister service with which we cooperate very closely. There are truly a great many activities underway,” the Minister of National Defence emphasized.
The main focus of the talks was an assessment of operational and infrastructure readiness in the border area. During a briefing with service commanders, the current security situation in the region was analyzed. The discussions also covered the role of local governments in building local resilience, as well as coordination between central and local government administrations and the Polish Armed Forces.
“Today we appointed new command for the 18th Mechanized Division. General Szkutnik is stepping down tomorrow, and General Lewandowski is assuming the position of commander of the 18th Division. I invite the General to continue our cooperation. You know him well – he served for many years as deputy commander, and the division has a significant role on the eastern front. There could not have been a better moment for this meeting. (…) I would also like to thank the commander of the entire corps within NATO structures. I am proud that for a year now this position has been held by a Pole– General Parylak. We have representation both at the brigade and corps levels. I also thank our officers serving in multinational units and allied structures. This is a very important signal, but it must be stated clearly: it is the 16th Division that is the largest tactical formation deployed so far to the northeast, on NATO’s eastern flank,” Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasized.
“The Warmia–Masuria Voivodeship stands on the military. You know this very well as hosts of your municipalities and counties. Without the armed forces, it would be difficult to imagine not only security, but also normal day-to-day functioning: jobs, employment, service opportunities, and career paths for many residents. (…) More soldiers serve in your voivodeship than the entire armed forces of the Republic of Lithuania, only slightly fewer than the Czech Armed Forces, and decidedly more than the armed forces of Slovakia. This shows the scale of the military presence—the number of units, the amount of equipment, and the importance of this region. Key investments in building national resilience and security are being carried out right here. The ‘East Shield’ is gaining momentum. I thank you for your goodwill and cooperation on these projects,” the head of the Ministry of National Defence added, addressing local government representatives from the region.
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