President visits the Adazi military base in Latvia
The introduction of a new command and control system for the Polish armed forces requires further personnel changes, including in top positions, President Andrzej Duda said at the Adazi military base in Latvia on Thursday.
The changes will be introduced "in full coordination" between the President, the defence minister and the prime minister, President Duda said.
In his speech, addressed to NATO troops stationed in Latvia, President Duda said that the new army command and control system is based on "allied observations and experiences" as well as on conclusions drawn from mistakes.
"Naturally, adopting a new command and control system requires subsequent personnel changes, including at the top commanding positions in the Polish Army," the President stressed.
The President also announced that General Sławomir Wojciechowski will, in a short while, take over as the head of the Command of the Multinational Division North-East located in Elbląg, northern Poland, "an absolutely crucial post as far as security in our region is concerned."
The Multinational Command is being formed on the basis of the Headquarters of Poland's 16th Pomeranian Mechanised Division. It will supervise NATO battalion combat groups as part of the Enhanced Forward Presence. The Command is to achieve full operational readiness by the end of this year.
Andrzej Duda stressed that the presence of NATO troops in Latvia is a guarantor of regional security. "I am convinced that there will be no war, as no one will dare raise a hand against NATO forces, the biggest and strongest military alliance in the world," he declared.
The President also praised NATO's implementation of decisions taken during the 2016 NATO summit in Warsaw on the deployment of Allied forces in its eastern flank. According to Duda, this reflects the Alliance's readiness to defend against external threats.
The entire NATO battalion combat group in Latvia numbers some 1,300 soldiers.
Source: PAP