Wojsko Polskie (WP, Polish Army) is the name applied to the military forces of Poland. Below is a list of military conflicts in which Polish armed forces participated or took place on Polish territory 1569-1699 Silver Age of The Republic September 8 1581 - Siege of Psków - Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - Russia Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland The name has been used since the early 19th century, although it can be used to refer to earlier formations as well. Polish Armed Forces consist of the Army (Wojska Lądowe), Navy (Marynarka Wojenna) and Air Force (Siły Powietrzne) branches and are under the command of the Ministry of National Defense (Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej). Polish Land Forces (Wojska Lądowe RP is a branch of Poland 's Armed Forces. Polish Air Force ( Siły Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej Siły Powietrzne RP - Air Forces of the Polish Republic is the Air force branch of the Polish

History

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth forces (probably 16th-17th century) singing the Bogurodzica hymn before the battle. The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, officially the Commonwealth of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania also known as the Most Serene Republic Bogurodzica (The Mother of God is the oldest Polish religious hymn A hymn is a type of Song, usually religious specifically written for the purpose of praise adoration or Prayer, and typically addressed to a deity/deities Painting by Józef Brandt. Józef Brandt (b Szczebrzeszyn, 1841 - Radom, 1915 was a Polish painter, best known for his paintings of battles

Main articles: History of the Polish Army, Armia Krajowa (Home Army), Polish contribution to World War II

The modern day Wojsko was created in 1918, from the three separate Russian, Austro-Hungarian, and Prussian armies and equipment left following World War I. Polish Army ( Polish: Wojsko Polskie) is the name applied to the military forces of Poland. The European theater of World War II opened with the German invasion of Poland on September 1 1939 Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Prussia ( Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Prūsija Prūsija Prusy Old Prussian: Prūsa) was most recently a historic state World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The force expanded during the Polish-Soviet War of 1919–1922 to nearly 800,000 men, but then was reduced when peace was reestablished. During the Second World War, on 1 September 1939 the force was nearly one million men strong, but was defeated by a German attack in September 1939, which was followed on 17 September 1939 by a Soviet attack. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1176 - The Battle of Myriokephalon is fought 1462 - The Battle of Świecino (or Battle of Żarnowiec Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Polish Armed Forces

Branches

Land Forces

Navy

Air Force

History

Wars Timeline

Personnel

Senior officers Rank insignia Awards Oaths

Equipment

Land Forces Navy

Some Polish forces escaped from the region and joined Allied forces fighting in other theatres while those that remained in Poland splintered into guerilla units and partisan groups which fought in clandestine ways against the foreign occupiers of Poland. Polish Land Forces (Wojska Lądowe RP is a branch of Poland 's Armed Forces. Polish Air Force ( Siły Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej Siły Powietrzne RP - Air Forces of the Polish Republic is the Air force branch of the Polish Polish Army ( Polish: Wojsko Polskie) is the name applied to the military forces of Poland. Below is a list of military conflicts in which Polish armed forces participated or took place on Polish territory 1569-1699 Silver Age of The Republic September 8 1581 - Siege of Psków - Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - Russia The following is a list of Polish Generals, that is the people who held the rank of general as well as those who acted as de facto generals by commanding Origins Present Polish system of rank insignia is a direct descendant of various systems used in the past in the Polish Army. The following is a list of medals awards and decorations in use in Poland. The following is a list of the Polish military Oaths both historical and contemporary The Polish military continues to use mostly Soviet-era equipment however since joining NATO in 1999 Poland has been upgrading and modernizing its hardware to NATO standards Polish Land Forces (Wojska Lądowe RP is a branch of Poland 's Armed Forces. Currently in service Frigates Oliver Hazard Perry class ORP Gen

After the war, the Soviets imposed their own structure on the military, which was ultimately discarded after the fall of communism. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based Currently the military is being re-organized according to NATO standards. The North Atlantic Treaty Some of the major problems facing the Polish Army Forces are the transition from a draft-based to a contract-based army and elimination of "fala" - the hazing of young conscripts by older ones.

Organization

Military engineers of the Polish Armed Forces at work in Pakistan

The combined Polish armed forces consists of 163,000 ^[2] active duty personnel and in addition 234,000 reserves. A military engineer is primarily responsible for the design and construction of offensive defensive and logistical structures for Warfare Other duties include the Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and The armed forces are made up of conscripts who serve for a period of 9 months, and professional soldiers. Conscription (also known as the draft, the call-up or national service) is a general term for involuntary labor demanded by some established authority Personnel levels and organization in the different branches are as follows (2004):

• Land Forces: 104,050 (2 Mechanized Corps (1 and 2), 3 Mechanized Divisions (1, 12 and 16) and 1 Armoured Division (11), 6 armored cavalry brigades. )

• Air Force: 36,450 (Air and Air Defense Corps)

• Navy: 14,300 (1 Battle Fleet)

As of 2006 professional soldiers make up 60% of military personnel, while the current government of Poland intends to make the Army fully professional by 2012 by ending the draft or reducing it to short training of recruits that would last up to two or three months. Conscripts currently have to do 9 months service and every male aged 18 is due for this service. Conscription is ending in 2009.

Equipment

An armed version of the Polish W-3WA helicopter during Airshow 2005 in Radom

Dzik-2 in the colours of the Polish Military Police

Main article: Equipment of the Polish Army

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 NATO standards. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout History Since 400 AD Chinese children have played with bamboo flying toys. Radom is a city in central Poland with 227309 inhabitants It is located on the Mleczna River in the Masovian For other meanings see Dzik (disambiguation. Dzik ( Wild Boar) is a 4 The Polish military continues to use mostly Soviet-era equipment however since joining NATO in 1999 Poland has been upgrading and modernizing its hardware to NATO standards The North Atlantic Treaty 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 AFVs from Finland. The Leopard 2 is a German Main battle tank developed by Krauss-Maffei in the early 1970s and first entering service in 1979 Tank classification is a Taxonomy of identifying either the intended role or weight class of Tanks The classification by role was used primarily during An anti-tank guided missile ( ATGM) or anti-tank guided weapon ( ATGW) is a guided Missile primarily designed to hit and destroy The Python is a family of air-to-air missiles (AAMs built by the Israeli weapons manufacturer RAFAEL Armament Development Authority. The Arrow "Interceptor" (טיל חץ /til xɛts/) ABM is a theater missile defense (TMD system it is the first missile developed by The Patria AMV (Armored Modular Vehicle is an 8x8 or 6x6 multi-role military vehicle produced by the Finnish weapons manufacturer Patria Poland has also modernized its armoured forces by developing the PT-91, one of the best tanks based on T-72 and by getting rid of obsolete T-55 tanks. The PT-91 Twardy ("tough" or "resilient" is a Polish Main battle tank. The T-72 is a Soviet -designed Main battle tank that entered production in 1971 The T-54 and T-55 tank were a series of Main battle tanks designed by the Soviet Union. As of now PT-91, PT-91A, T-72M1 and T-72M1Z are forming a bulk of polish armoured forces. Poland is also planning to phase out the T-72M1 in 2010, hence their decreasing number over the past three years. The T-72 is a Soviet -designed Main battle tank that entered production in 1971 Recently, Poland has discussed having a US military base and a ballistic missile defence shield in Poland. In return for the Poles allowing the US to have the shield on Polish territory, the Army is hoping to get M1 Abrams tanks, Patriot missile systems and the Air Force wants Apache helicopters and a new medium helicopter such as the Black Hawk, see in detail:

• Land Forces (Equipment)
• Air Forces (Equipment)
• Navy (Equipment)

Mission

A Polish Army soldier patrol leader debriefs his team after completing an afternoon patrol around the perimeter of Camp Babylon, Iraq

The most basic goal of the armed forces is the defense of Polish territorial integrity, and Polish interests abroad. Polish Land Forces (Wojska Lądowe RP is a branch of Poland 's Armed Forces. Polish Air Force ( Siły Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej Siły Powietrzne RP - Air Forces of the Polish Republic is the Air force branch of the Polish Currently in service Frigates Oliver Hazard Perry class ORP Gen 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. The North Atlantic Treaty 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, cooperating with neighbouring nations (LITPOLBAT, POLUKRBAT). Polish-Ukrainian Peace Force Battalion or POLUKRBAT is a Polish - Ukrainian Peacekeeping Battalion, formed in the late 1990s expressly

Recent operations

A Polish soldier in Iraq

Polish Armed Forces took part in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, deploying 2,500 soldiers in the south of that country and commanding the 17-nation Multinational force in Iraq. The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia Multi-National Force - Iraq (MNF-I, is a military command, led by the United States that is fighting the Iraq War against Iraqi insurgents or resistants In addition to this, Polish soldiers are currently deployed in five separate UN Peacekeeping Operations (UNDOF, UNIFIL, EUFOR and KFOR). Total international deployment of Polish military is over 4,500 troops.

Current deployment (2008):

BRDM-2, BRDM-2M-96 and BRDM-2M-96i armoured cars were used by Polish units of SFOR. BRDM-2 armoured scout cars and BRDM-2RKhb NBC reconnaissance vehicles are used by Polish, Ukrainian and Russian units of the Kosovo Force. Polish KFOR units use BRDM-2M-96. Polish Forces in Iraq have 12 BRDM-2M-96ik "Szakal" and 14 BRDM-2M-97 "Żbik-B".

• Iraq: Operation Iraqi Freedom – 900 soldiers, vehicles: 12 BRDM-2M-96ik "Szakal" and 14 BRDM-2M-97 "Żbik-B" armoured scout cars, KTO XC-360P Rosomak-1 infantry fighting vehicles, Honker and HMMWV cars and Honker Skorpion armoured cars. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia 11 Helicopters: Mil Mi-24, Mil Mi-8 and PZL W-3 Sokół
• Afghanistan: International Security Assistance Force – 1,600 soldiers, vehicles: KTO XC-360P Rosomak-1 infantry fighting vehicles, Honker and HMMWV cars. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, International Security Assistance Force (10 ( ISAF) is a NATO -led security and development mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations
• Lebanon: UN Interim Force (PMC/UNIFIL) – 500 soldiers
• Golan Heights, Syria: UN Disengagement and Observation Force (PMC/UNDOF) – 355 soldiers
• Bosnia: EUFOR – 205 soldiers, 3 civil personnel
• Kosovo: KFOR – 320 soldiers, vehicles: BRDM-2 and BRDM-2M-96 armoured scout cars, BRDM-2RS NBC reconnaissance vehicles, BWP-1 infantry fighting vehicles and Honker cars. Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, was created by the United Nations, with the adoption of Security Council Resolution Borders of Israel The Golan Heights ( الجولان al-Jawlān, הגולן ha-Golan) is a strategic Plateau and mountainous Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF Zone was established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 350 on 31 May 1974, to Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Latin script: Bosna i Hercegovina, Cyrillic script: Босна и Херцеговина is a country on the Balkan EUFOR or European Union Force is a term used to describe European Union military deployments and has been used four times so far in FYROM from March 2003 to December
• Chad: 600 troops pleged under the EU peace force
• Estonia: Baltic Air Policing - 4 Mig 29 jet fighters with ~ 100 support personnel - NATO air defence Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) in order to guard the airspace over the three Baltic states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Chad (Tchad تشاد Tshād) officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a Landlocked country in Central Africa. Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia ( Eesti or Eesti Vabariik) is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region The Baltic air-policing mission is a NATO air defence Quick Reaction Alert (QRA in order to guard the airspace over the three Baltic states WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Trivia

Polish military forces are the origin of the two-fingers salute. For the obscene hand gesture colloquially known as the "two-fingered salute" see V sign as an insult The two-finger(ed salute

Branches

The Wojsko consists of the following branches:

• Polish Land Forces (Wojska Lądowe Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej)
• Polish Navy (Marynarka Wojenna Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej)
• Polish Air Forces (Siły Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej)
• Polish Special Forces (Wojska Specjalne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej)

Gallery

GROM Special Forces unit operators	Leopard 2A4 of the Polish Army	PT-91 Twardy tank	KTO Rosomak of the Polish Land Forces
Polish HMMWV in Iraq	ZSU-23-4MP "Biała" self-propelled anti-aircraft gun	Polish ZU-23-2 mounted on Star truck	RM-85 or the unarmored version of RM-70
Polish Air Force F-16C Block 52+	Polish Mikoyan MiG-29	Polish Su-22UM3K in markings of 6th Tactical Sqn. Polish Land Forces (Wojska Lądowe RP is a branch of Poland 's Armed Forces. Polish Air Force ( Siły Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej Siły Powietrzne RP - Air Forces of the Polish Republic is the Air force branch of the Polish GROM (In Polish: Grupa Reagowania Operacyjno-Manewrowego "Operational Mobile Reaction Group" the Acronym itself means " Thunderbolt In most countries special forces (SF is a generic term for highly-trained Military teams/units that conduct specialized operations such as Reconnaissance The Leopard 2 is a German Main battle tank developed by Krauss-Maffei in the early 1970s and first entering service in 1979 Polish Land Forces (Wojska Lądowe RP is a branch of Poland 's Armed Forces. The PT-91 Twardy ("tough" or "resilient" is a Polish Main battle tank. The Patria AMV (Armored Modular Vehicle is an 8x8 or 6x6 multi-role military vehicle produced by the Finnish weapons manufacturer Patria This article refers to the Military HMMWV not the civilian Hummer sold by General Motors The M998 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. The ZSU-23-4 "Biała" ( pl White, also the name of more than one small Polish river is a Polish modification of the ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" The ZU-23, better known as ZU-23-2, is a towed Soviet short-range air defense cannon Fabryka Samochodów Ciężarowych "Star" is a Polish Truck manufacturer The RM-70 ( raketomet vzor 1970) Multiple rocket launcher is a Czechoslovakian army version and the heavier variant of the BM-21 Grad multiple WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout	Mil Mi-24 Helicopter of the Polish Land Forces
PZL SW-4 #0203 of Polish Air Force	One of W-3 Sokół armed versions of Polish Air Force	A Polish Air Force Mil Mi-8	Polish military VIP transport Tu-154M aircraft from the 36th Special Air Transport Regiment, on the Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport, Warsaw
ORP Generał Kazimierz Pułaski (Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate)	Seasprite landing on ORP Generał Tadeusz Kościuszko	ORP Orzeł (Kilo class), view from circa 1993	ORP Bielik (Kobben class)
ORP Heweliusz and fleet tanker ORP Bałtyk	Soldiers of the 21st Podhale Rifles Brigade in full gala dress-suit

See also

• Czesław Piątas, current Chief of General Staff of the Polish Army
• History of Polish Intelligence Services
• List of Polish wars
• Polish Army oaths
• Polish military awards and decorations
• Polish Armed Forces rank insignia
• Podhale rifles
• Polish Army Museum
• List of Polish armoured fighting vehicles
• Polish military eagle

Notes

External links

• Polish Army Galeries
• Official Website of the Polish Land Forces
• Official Website of the Polish Ministry of Defense
• Official Website of the Polish Air Force
• Official Website of the Polish Navy
• kamouflage.net > Europe > Poland (Republic of Poland)
• Pictures from Iraq of Polish Army