How to effectively defend the east border of Poland, the European Union and NATO against the hybrid actions of Russia and Belarus on the threshold of war? What should be included in the National Tarcza East programme? This is 1 of the questions the guests of the XXVI global Conference and the InSec 2024 Borders safety Exhibition tried to answer.
– The subject of the border since 2021, that is from the beginning hybrid aggression by smuggling migrants across the border through the Belarusian services, became number 1 in the public debate in Poland. Despite various efforts made by our country, we are inactive facing quite a few force on the Polish border," said Tomasz Siemoniak, Minister of Interior and Administration and coordinator of peculiar services, during the beginning speech of this year's InSec. The global Conference and Exhibition of Border safety has traditionally organized the Management Board of Warsaw Fairs in the capital. Tomasz Siemoniak in his speech added that safety at the Polish-Russian and Polish-Belarusian borders has been at the centre of all institutions liable for safety in our country for respective years.
During the meeting, the erstwhile president Bronisław Komorowski besides presented the paper. erstwhile head of the armed forces reminded that the east borders of Poland are external European Union and North Atlantic Alliance borders, so their threat and violation carries geopolitical and military consequences for the full Union and NATO. "We are aware that this conference is taking place in the context of a very serious crisis at the EU borders, with peculiar emphasis on the threat posed by Russia and Belarus to east European countries. We are aware that this threat is part of a much broader process that has created the natural drive of many countries towards Europe, towards the Western world," said Bronisław Komorowski, referring to population migration.
The conference, attended by more than 200 representatives of services and institutions liable for the safety of Polish borders, including government administration, Border Guard, Police, Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland, and armed companies providing the essential equipment and equipment, was divided into 4 sessions – discussion panels.
The first discussion was entitled "Towards a fresh strategy for the functioning of services in the face of hybrid threats". Experts discussed first and foremost the plan to establish a Border defender base new formation like the Interwar Border defender Corps, which would have much broader powers and tasks than the borderers presently have.
Second session on National deterrence and defence programme Eastern ShieldShe focused on the challenges this task brings. Experts argued, among others, whether permanent fortifications, whose construction is planned on the Polish-Russian and Polish-Belarusian border, will effectively safe them in the event of armed aggression. It was besides discussed whether the European Union should not co-finance the construction of the Shield, since the Polish border is besides the EU's external border.
The 3rd session of InSec entitled "Investment and modernisation of border protection services – current state and planned activities" was an chance to discuss key modernisation projects carried out by Border defender and Police. This includes the acquisition of fresh unmanned workers and the improvement of ICT networks essential to service people crossing the Polish border.
The last panel entitled ‘Hybrid threats to the safety of the state border’ discussed the tools that state institutions and services gotta fight the war threshold, i.e. hybrid actions. So, among others, they talked. about cyber threats for critical infrastructure. Let us remind that MON data shows that Poland is 1 of the most frequently attacked countries in the planet erstwhile it comes to cyber issues. In 2023 there were over 5.8 1000 attacks on military networks.
The InSec conference was held for the 26th time under key auspices due to the safety of the state of ministries and institutions: Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Interior and Administration, Ministry of abroad Affairs, Office of National safety and Government safety Centre.
