Soldiers from the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade from Świętaszów prepare for Operation “Safe Podlasie”. They will leave for the border with Belarus in the second half of the year. Prior to the mission, police, forest guards, and Border Guards train patrolling techniques, self-defense, crowd handling and smooth-bore fire.
– The specificity of actions in securing the Belarusian border differs powerfully from the typical soldiering practice – says Major Jacek, head of the training section in 10th Armoured Cavalry Brigade in Świętszow (names are not given due to the nature of the service). The military goal is to destruct the enemy on the battlefield. On the border of the people who force her illegally, we are to detain and hand over the Border Guard. That is why training is needed for our soldiers under the supervision of instructors from another services – explains Major Jacek.
Specificity of service
According to the officer, in the second half of the year, soldiers from 10 BKPanc will service on the east border as part of the Operation Safe Floors, so they are now trained under the guidance of instructors with behaviour during service and methods of action in the fight against illegal immigration. This includes training self-defense, mastering a large group of people who have breached safety at the border, or patrolling.
– Military hand-to-hand combat training, based on krav maga, assumes the disposal of the opponent, besides utilizing weapons. In the case of the border, it will be our occupation to overpower illegal immigrants," the major emphasises. Self-defense and combat training takes place under the supervision of police instructors from Legnica. Training besides involves mastering larger groups of people and utilizing equipment utilized in specified activities, including gas or shields. “As part of the exercises, we simulate action at the border, that is, 1 group “plays back” illegal immigrants, the another is to take control of them,” explains the officer.
In turn, classes with the Forest defender include patrolling forest areas and shooting smooth-bore shotguns. It's a weapon the military doesn't use. Therefore, in order to give it to the soldier, he must first undergo specified training – explains Major Jacek. Soldiers besides train patrolling utilizing equipment utilized regular at the border. They must be able to usage thermal or night imagination binoculars during patrols. The training besides includes training with the Border Guard, including legal issues and principles of cooperation between border guards and the military while patrolling and securing the border.
Return to the border
For battleships from the Holy Cross, the support of the Border defender in patrolling and securing the border with Belarus is not new. They served there as early as 2022, besides supported the I and II change of Operation Safe Podlasie. The current journey will so be for them to return to the border. This does not mean that only those who have experience in specified activities will be deployed. Meanwhile, fresh soldiers joined the brigade who were not on Podlasie. Therefore, specified training is necessary.
– Besides, the situation at the border is changing. The way illegal immigrants act is changing, so the cognition and skills gained request to be updated," explains the major, who besides served on the border with Belarus. As he says, at that time there were no safety features and a permanent barrier at the border, so it was easier to overcome it. – There were storms, attempts at force crossing the border. present there is simply a border fence, it is hard for immigrants to force it, so they usage another methods, e.g. underroots,” says the officer.
He adds that the typical pattern of action of people trying to enter Poland illegally is simply a distraction. 1 group pretends to effort to push the border, while at that time the another group actually crosses it. Soldiers patrolling the border can rapidly call for backup. But before it reaches, they must be able to control – sometimes over a fewer twelve people – a group of foreigners who entered Poland.
These in turn may be armed with various dangerous objects. – Among others, knives, sticks or stones are involved. 1 soldier already He was killed by a knife. – emphasizes Major Jacek. – There are besides attacks on motorized patrols. During my service, 2 shafts in the truck were shot with slingshot stones. So imagine how much the impact force was – he points out.
Currently in 10 BKPanc starts the second training turnus. respective 100 soldiers are trained in 1 group. There is besides a 3rd turnus scheduled to begin in May. Battleships at the border will service in the second half of the year, in rotation mode.
