The territorial defence troops will be subject to national certification. The capacity of the territorial authorities to act in the event of an external threat to the State and in crisis situations will be checked. Soon, as part of the WOT certification, the “Piorun ‘24” exercise will begin. All soldiers must number on the announcement of an alarm and immediate action in the units.
– In April of this year the Head of the General Staff of the Polish Army, General Wiesław KukułaOn the basis of a decision of the Minister of National Defence, he issued an order to carry out national certification territorial defence troops – informs Colonel Robert Pękala, WOT's press secretary.
– The aim of this process is to measure the capacity of the youngest kind of armed forces to act in the event of an external threat to the safety of the State and the capacity to take action in the area of crisis management in peacetime," explains the spokesperson. As he adds, this is the first case in the past of our army erstwhile certification is given to all kinds of armed forces. Until now, individual military units have been certified. “This will be a large challenge for us,” admits Col.
The readiness of territorial defence troops, as a kind of armed force, will be assessed specifically by a certification team. He's in charge Brig-Gen Piotr Płonka from WP General Staff. The General will be chaired by specialists from SGWP, the General Command of the RSZ, the Operational Command of the RSZ and the Armed Forces Support Inspectorate, as well as another institutions and military units. The certification of WOT will be carried out in accordance with the Natov standards, i.e. the procedure referred to as CREVAL (Compat Readiness Evaluation of Land).
WOT Command has been preparing for this large test for any time. That is why, in May, staff training on Lightning ‘24’ was carried out, during which the decision-making process at the DWOT command station was assessed. Another challenge soon. In mid-June, as part of the certification, the “Piorun 24” command exercises will be carried out, which will check the command processes of the subordinate WOT units and interact with the superior command.
The certification will assess, for example, the percent state of completion of territorial defence troops and the level of training of soldiers. – As part of the checking process, all WOT soldiers will be placed immediately, whether in professional or territorial service. This means that they will gotta study to their military units as shortly as possible after the alarm has been announced. We are afraid that not everyone will respond to the call due to random cases. all soldier who will become in his unit will be identified and this is how the certification squad will measure the actual percent of the standing of individual OT brigades," explains Colonel Pękala. The exact date of the alarm and the time of the occurrence in the units shall be kept secret.
In addition, the certification will test the percentages of completion of essential military equipment and its efficiency, as well as the level of tactical stocks held in units.
The DWOT spokesperson recalls that WOT soldiers have proven themselves in real action many times. The Territorials supported society, local administration and emergency services in various types of crisis situations. This was, among others, erstwhile OT soldiers helped firefighters extinguish the fire in Biebrza National Park in 2020, or in a wide-ranging action to support people and state institutions and wellness professionals during the 2020–2022 coronavirus pandemic. The Territorials have besides repeatedly engaged in flood prevention and assisted the police in seeking missing persons. Currently, since mid-2021, together with soldiers of another types of armed forces, support the Border defender in protection of the east state border.
Construction of territorial defence troops began in 2017. First the formation command was established, then the first 3 brigades in Podlaskie, Lubline and Podkarpackie voivodships. There are now eighteen OT brigades, a command battalion, an unconventional action unit "Grif", 2 training centers, a sub-office school and a WOT typical centre (an orchestra and honorary company). During the creation there are 2 more OT brigades: lubuska and opolska. In total, more than 40,000 soldiers presently service in territorial defence troops, of which 35 000 are soldiers serving territorial military service, little than 5 000 are professional soldiers and respective 100 are active reservists.
