📋 Tender Overview
Operation Safe Podlasie is proceeding without disruptions, despite the involvement of the armed forces in actions aimed at removing the effects of the flood. The involvement of the military in providing aid after the flood does not cause any damage to Operation Safe Podlasie. (…) We received a report from the commanders, from all those involved, and I want to talk about the good cooperation, which is key to protecting the border, but also to ensuring the safety of soldiers, Border Guard officers and Police serving on the border - said the head of the Ministry of National Defense after a meeting with commanders at the Polish-Belarusian border.
On Thursday (September 26 this year) at the Zielona Exercise Centre, W?adys?aw Kosiniak-Kamysz, Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Ministry of National Defense, participated in a briefing with staff and soldiers taking part in the Safe Podlasie operation.
Since August 1, 2024, the operation codenamed Safe Podlasie has been underway - the operation is a continuation of the assistance of the Polish Armed Forces for the Border Guard in ensuring the security and tightness of the country's eastern border.
- Just as the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration and the Ministry of National Defense acted together during the flood, so we also act together here. We are ending this Polish silo, which closed each ministry within its borders. Here, there is an exchange of not only information and experiences, but also mutual penetration, because only then can we protect our border. The situation is serious and this pressure on the border has been increasing in recent weeks and days. After July, which was a quiet month, August, in which the number of crossings was not so high, September brings an increase in the number of crossings. From the beginning of September to today, about 2.5 thousand attempts to cross the border. In the whole of 2024, we are already dealing with 26 thousand attempts to illegally cross the Polish-Belarusian border. This is the same as in the whole of 2023, and there are still more than three months to the end of this year. This shows that this year is much more difficult, the pressure on the border and the aggressiveness of groups that have specialized in attacking soldiers and officers is greater than ever.- said the Deputy Prime Minister.
In response to the migration pressure on the eastern border of the Republic of Poland, the main task of Polish Army soldiers involved in the "Safe Podlasie" operation is to help maintain the tightness of the state border. These activities are a response to the challenges to internal security related to illegal migration controlled by the Belarusian regime. The soldiers support the Border Guard and Police in preventing illegal border crossings in places not designated for this purpose.
- All joint activities that we conduct are also aimed at even greater preparation and improvement of the entire Safe Podlasie operation. Therefore, I would like to thank you very much for the joint training conducted by the Military Police, which is present here and will be present all the time on patrols right at the border, on the so-called strip. (…) One integrated tactical unit, the 18th Mechanized Division, responsible for the entire border. I think that this is the experience of the past months, where various modules were used, this one is after several dozen days since August 1 - we can say - the most effective. General Szkutnik takes responsibility for everything and has a sense of this responsibility together with his soldiers.- said the head of the Ministry of National Defense.
The core of the first, six-month rotation of Operation Safe Podlasie are soldiers of the 18th "Iron" Mechanized Division. Maj. Gen. Arkadiusz Szkutnik, Commander of the 18th DZ, has been appointed as the commander of the operation. The operation also involves soldiers of the General Command of the RSZ, Territorial Defense Forces, the Inspectorate for Support of the Armed Forces and the Military Police.
- The army will be involved in repairing the roads, this possibility of returning to the best possible condition. Of course, I also ask for your understanding. We do not drive heavy equipment here because the army has no other tasks. It really has many duties and many tasks. But often this is the only chance to secure the border, to secure our residents, these border villages, these border towns, and the entire homeland. (…) Medical coverage, co-financing the hospital in Hajnówka, we are talking about landing sites for hospitals with the governor. There are many more things that definitely need to be improved, improved, streamlined, because this is an extremely complicated and long-term operation.- noted the Deputy Prime Minister.
Operation Safe Podlasie, which involves up to 17,000 soldiers, replaced previous operations conducted in the region, such as Operation GRYF and the forward training presence RENGAW, which formed the Military Task Force Podlasie. The Operational Command of the Branches of the Armed Forces is responsible for planning, implementing and directing the operation.
