More attractive training, work with modern equipment and closer binding of reserve soldiers with their home unit – is simply a plan for reforming the strategy of reserve training, which the General Staff of the Polish Army is working on. His details, on the Day of the Reserve Soldier, are discussed with Colonel Bogdan Sowa, Head of the Board of Organisations and Supplements – P1 SGWP.
Reserve training in the 8th Koszalin Anti-Aircraft Regiment. photograph 8 pplot
For respective years, the Ministry of National Defence has been gathering the expectations of Poles and developing forms of union with the military another than professional service. So we have territorial service and voluntary essential military service, and there are programs like “Train with the Army” is ‘Academic Legion’. Everyone is able to find an offer for themselves. However, I have the impression that very crucial from the point of view of the army, or training of reserves, has remained somewhat behind and is the least attractive – from the point of view of possible candidates for service – a form of participation in building the national safety system. Why did this happen?
Colonel Dr. Bogdan Sowa: Unfortunately, you're right. First of all, it is related to the fact that drills of reserve soldiers, lasting up to 2–3 weeks, pull a citizen out of everyday life. erstwhile we order him to attend a military unit and spend respective days in practice, even if we do so in advance, it is hard to plan and reconcile with individual life. erstwhile Man Decides to Join territorial defence troops, or take advantage of the opportunities it gives voluntary basic military serviceHe knows precisely what these forms involve. It is clear how much time it takes for these 2 types of service to meet their military responsibilities. Unfortunately, this cannot be defined in specified a precise case of reserve training, due to the fact that the number of called and the places in which they are called are due to current needs, mobilization allowances and individual capabilities.
However, it can be ensured that the training itself is attractive and that the reservists in the unit do not feel an unnecessary part of the military system.
We're working hard on this. We know that reservists are complaining, for example, about outdated equipment and weapons that they gotta work with during training. 1 of the priorities Operation Szczej It is to align the level of equipment of reserve soldiers to the level of soldiers in professional military service so that they do not feel inferior. The thought is to train reservists from the service of modern equipment, which is in the condition of a given unit, so that, in the event of being called into service, they are a real reinforcement of the armed forces. This cannot be achieved without well-prepared and effective cyclical training.
We besides want to tie the reservists to a certain position in a peculiar unit. So that they know precisely where and with whom to service them. This will besides let unit commanders to better plan exercises and training process. The training of reservists must be included in a cycle, where the next circular of exercises is increasingly advanced and thus increasingly attractive, for example, it means going to field exercises and the anticipation of utilizing equipment and weapons in combat conditions.
Colonel Dr. Bogdan Sowa, Head of the Board of Organisations and Supplements – P1 SGWP.
That's reasoning about training of reserves It fits into the concept of universal service, or full Force Concept, developed in the General Staff of the Polish Army. To implement it, we request to give citizens a variety of opportunities so that everyone can find something for themselves. These are, among another things, the forms of service and connection to the military we have already mentioned. We open and grow fresh opportunities for those who want to train and then keep acquired skills and improve qualifications. The armed forces are constantly changing and the course and training strategy must besides follow these changes. We want, regardless of the form of military service, soldiers – professional, territorial, voluntary or reservists – to have equal opportunities in terms of professional development.
As in the thought of universal service, 2 already announced directions of improvement of the Polish Army, i.e. the establishment of Transformation Command and the implementation of the talent management system?
Thanks to our talent management system, we will have cognition of the predispositions of our soldiers and reservists. This will aid plan their career paths and make better usage of their abilities and skills and match the training and mobilization system. This will benefit both the armed forces and the reserve. The Transformation Command, on the another hand, is intended to relieve operational troops in conducting training and training of reserves. After the implementation of this system, unit commanders will “get” already trained soldiers and reservists with whom they will carry out a grappling exercise. This will let for better adaptation of the reserve training programme and make it more attractive for reserve soldiers, as specialised instructors will do so, in part recruited from the ranks of the active reserve.
A major problem for the military was the suspension of essential military service in 2010. This decision caused that for many years there was no large stock of young, already trained reservists in society.
Only the creation of territorial defence troops and the introduction of voluntary essential military service allowed us to control this problem. Thanks to my ministry, a large number of trained soldiers go to the reserves all year. From the point of view of the organisation of the strategy of individual reserves, it is an invaluable resource. This allowed us to increase the number of trained reservists in military exercises to around 40,000 per year, and besides to reduce the average age of passenger reserves from year to year. I hope that we will avoid the situation erstwhile the call for exercise was received by a 50-year-old father, who had basic military service 30 years ago, alternatively than his 20-year-old son, who had no contact with the uniform beyond military qualifications.
You mentioned a closer connection between reservists and a circumstantial unit. This will surely be well received, due to the fact that it is hard to anticipate enthusiasm from a reservist who receives a call from the another end of Poland to have compulsory training for respective days, although a akin unit is in his area.
We see how well this soldier's bond with the unit works in case territorial defence troops And we're going to be working on creating a bond like that for reservists, too. I realize how comfortable this is erstwhile the reservist will know that a possible call for exercise will come from a circumstantial and acquainted military unit, preferably close to his place of residence. To this end, we remind the commanders to remember the reserveists from the unit's station. To treat them as part of a military family, to meet them, to invitation them to events crucial to the individual, specified as holidays and celebrations.
One form of appreciation of reserve soldiers was besides the establishment of their holiday. We celebrate them on October 10 in remembrance of the conflict of the Crown in 1410, in which the troops composed of a common move, or specified reserves of the time, deserved. On this occasion, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the soldiers for their dedication, commitment and success in individual life and further service to their homeland.
