We are in the phase of the hybrid war, but we are ahead of the situation and we have begun the defence preparations," said General Stanislaw Czosnek, Deputy Head of the General Staff of the Polish Army, at a gathering with journalists at the construction site of the “Tarcza East” installation in Rutka. This is 1 of 30 places on the northern and east borders of the country where work is presently underway.
The military present invited journalists to Rutka, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, where soldiers from the 16th Bombers Regiment build engineering fortifications within the framework the Tarcza East programme. It is the largest program since planet War II to strengthen the defence possible of the border belt in the north and east of the country. As part of this investment, anti-tank dams, defence stations for the crew will be created, as well as areas for the distribution of minefields. An crucial addition to this kind of fortifications, which will be located straight at the border, will be warehouses of equipment and firewall elements. The military plans to build about a 100 specified installations throughout the dimension of the “Hard East”.
– What you see is the most visible component of the “Hard East”, that is, engineering development. But this is only 1 aspect of the preparation of the border – General Garlic said. – Equally crucial will be the systems of exploration, informing or antichemical defence, as well as preparation medical infrastructure for the intent of conducting defence operations, the officer has calculated.
In the vicinity of Rutka, the first phase of construction is taking place – along the border, anti-tank ditches are formed and 2 dam belts, consisting of concrete hedgehogs. Fire stations for tanks and transporters, trenches, shelters and shelters are being built right behind them. The next phase will be the construction of retention sites for engineering and military materials, which will hit the fortification belt in the eve of possible conflict, erstwhile there is simply a hazard of enemy troops pushing the border.
– Rutka's village is simply a model example of how the military manages the site," said Gen. Marek Wawrzyniak, Head of the Board of Military Engineering at the General Command of Armed Forces Types. The belt on which soldiers build fortifications and opposition points is adjacent to the forest on 1 side and the bayonet on the other. Both of these hard mobile areas will be natural obstacles to the opponent and as specified they fall within the “Hard East”.
The military one more time stressed that the acquisition of land for the construction of the “Tarchy East” is carried out in full respect of the ownership rights of existing owners and users. In the first place, the Ministry of Defence buys the land from the State Forests and from the resources of the National Centre for Agricultural Support. “We have already obtained respective twelve plots and, contrary to concerns, there has been no mention of depriving anyone of his property,” said General Garlic.
The first cost of building the “Tarchy East” was estimated at PLN 10 billion, but MON has already announced that the budget will most likely be increased. In addition to the resources from the Ministry of Defence, the costs of developing the strengthening are to be covered by the European Union funds. There are now 2 financial mechanisms: the safety and Defence Fund under the National Recovery Plan and safety Action for Europe measures.
