Poland forming new defense force to ward off threats from Russia
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 14 November 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Poland forming new defense force to ward off threats from Russia, 14 November 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5975a2431c.html [accessed 18 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
November 14, 2016
Polish Army soldiers take part in a NATO military exercise in June 2016.
Poland says it will build a new territorial defense force of 53,000 volunteers by 2019 in order to guard against threats from Russia.
Defense Minister Atoni Macierewicz said on November 14 that the force will be similar to the U.S. National Guard in that it is comprised of civilians who undergo military training.
Macierewicz said the force would deter Russia from seizing Polish territory by infiltration, as it is accused of having done in eastern Ukraine.
"It is also the best response to the dangers of a hybrid war like the one . . . following Russia's aggression in Ukraine," Macierewicz said, giving Moscow's illegal annexation in 2014 of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula as an example.
Military experts say hybrid warfare is a tactic employed by Russia that uses deception rather than a formal declaration of war.
Based on reporting by AFP and PPA
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
