President of Poland, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Andrzej Duda appointed Lieutenant General Wiesław Kukuła as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and Brigadier General Maciej Klisz as Commander of the Territorial Defence Forces (WOT).
“This is one of the most important moments in the activity and functioning of the Polish Armed Forces in recent years, extremely important especially in the current reality”, the President emphasised during the ceremony.
Andrzej Duda pointed out that the Polish Army is facing many changes in the near future, including further deliveries of modern armaments. “The fundamental task of us, politicians, but also the command staff, is to form the Polish Armed Forces in such a way that no one would even think of attacking the Republic of Poland, disturbing the peace of our fellow citizens, exposing them to danger,” he said.
“The Polish army must be well-equipped, trained, efficient, strong and organised enough to deter any potential attacker”, he stressed.
General Kukuła was appointed in 2016 by the then Minister of National Defence as commander of the WOT and led the formation until the end of 2022. Prior to that, he served in the Polish Military Contingent in Iraq, among others, and was also the commander of the Military Commandos Unit.
General Klisz has been deputy commander of the WOT since 2020, having previously served as the formation’s chief of staff. He also worked in the Special Forces Command and was chief of staff of the Military Unit of Commandos. He took part in missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Afghanistan.
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defence Mariusz Błaszczak, who took part in the ceremony, said: “The Territorial Defence Forces are always ready, they are always close by. I am convinced that this will be the case under the command of General Maciej Klisz. The experience you gained while serving in the Polish Army, being also a graduate of an American university, will allow you to continue to successfully develop this project”.
Adrian Andrzejewski