What kind of equipment were equipped with soldiers supporting the Border defender in the east of the country, where they are accommodated and what their feeding rations look like, present the logistics invited to a gathering of the Subcommittee on Social Affairs in the Army. – The terms of service on the Polish-Belarusian border are good, but it can always be better – they assessed.
– I called this gathering not to account, but to learn from the military what soldiers serving on the border need. Can we, as parliamentarians, make them receive more equipment to get the right equipment – explained Marcin Ociepa (PiS), president of the Subcommittee on Social Affairs in the Army.
What do soldiers have?
Information on the conditions under which soldiers are surviving and serving Military Task Force Podlasie, presented Brig-Gen Mariusz Skulimowski, Head of the Management Board of Logistics P4 in General Staff of the Polish Army. – They are accommodated in 1641 residential containers, 5 facilities belonging to the Border Guard, 4 school facilities, 1 guest home and 15 residential halls. We are besides working on improving surviving conditions. While providing physical and intellectual comfort to soldiers, we organized gyms, lounges and canteens in accommodation locations – the general said. – Food is based on an increased food rate of 55% and is presently PLN 47,60 gr. That's the right amount. The norm corresponds to the request of calories. As far as medical safety is concerned, 19 medical safety teams are involved, including 2 medical evacuation vehicles on the chassis of KTO Rosomak, 19 sanitary cars and 43 paramedics," said Gen. Skulimowski. Land evacuation is organized by Military Medical Rescue Teams or Medical Rescue Teams of the State Medical Rescue Team. Air evacuation is besides possible. The military cooperates in this area with LPR (from 3 localities), but soldiers are besides supported by the Aviation Search and Rescue squad from Minsk Mazowiecki. The military has individual medical equipment.
Gen. Skulimowski besides provided data on equipment that goes to uniformed supporting SG officers. Individual equipment includes, among others, shotguns, bulletproof vests, helmets, sights and optical instruments, goggles, night imagination goggles, gas throwers or preventive equipment (e.g. helmet helmet helmets, batons, protective shields). However, the General stated that since the subcommittee gathering was classified, he could not state how much specified equipment was transferred to WZZ Podlasie by the units. On the another hand, information about additional equipment for soldiers serving at the border was public. “At the request of the Minister of Defence for WZZ Podlasie, 2.5 1000 bulletproof vests were besides purchased, more than 1.5 1000 in-house cameras, 500 in-house Rubin sights, 750 pairs of night imagination goggles, 250 binoculars, a 1000 thermovision binoculars,” he mentioned. An additional 12 quad vehicles were besides purchased, but besides tiny equipment, specified as flashlights (5 1000 advanced power flashlights and 2,000 front flashlights).
What are the soldiers missing?
However, members of the subcommittee – citing media reports – had doubts that the situation was surely so good. "There was news in the press that soldiers had to sleep on the bare ground, and food rations had so tiny that the hungry went buying in Ladybug. Is it actual and is this inactive the case? – Joanna Wicha (Levice), vice-president of the subcommittee, asked. It was besides asked if the gyms were working, for example, due to the fact that soldiers frequently pointed out that there were sports facilities, but... closed. Concerning military complaints about mediocre quality of means of communication and the failure to adapt clothing to service conditions in the east of the country, Mr Andrzej Zapalowski (Confederation) spoke. “I spoke to soldiers who complained that they had old, utilized radio stations, and they had to buy batteries for them, due to the fact that those who get from warehouses last 3 to 4 hours, while the service lasts 10 hours,” he said. The parliamentarian besides mentioned that the military lacked warm jackets or winter shoes. – Praise those commanders who, contrary to the regulations, allowed soldiers to go to the border in their own shoes or private puff jackets. Glory besides to those commanders who allowed the subordinates to build shelters on their own, due to the fact that they were frequently the only places where they could warm up," Zapalowski said. On the another hand, Mr Arkadiusz Czartoryski (PiS) asked the military to measure information on the amount of equipment that goes to the border. – From the general's speech, he beats the speech that is very good, but I have a difficulty. I don't know if this amount is much or little? – he wondered.
General Skulimowski, responding to the doubts of politicians, admitted that the situations described could indeed have taken place. I've provided information on the position quo. However, let me remind you that 6,000 people served on the border, now a small less, in respective twelve locations. It may have been that any soldiers were not satisfied, and the surviving conditions were insufficient," the general noted. He pointed out that staff members are constantly examining the way the logistics mission is carried out, drawing conclusions and seeking to improve shortcomings. He assured that the conditions of the military's stay in the border area are now much better than those which were at the beginning of the Polish-Belarusian border protection operation, i.e. at the beginning of the migration crisis. – Soldiers at the border hazard wellness and life, they deserve the best care and service conditions for physical and intellectual comfort. They do operational tasks, we do logistics. If there were irregularities, individual should be accounted for it," he added.
