Nearly two thousand participants attended the 1st Nationwide Congress “Defence System of the Republic of Poland: A Safe Poland and Citizens.” On 27 November 2024, at the Expo Kraków Trade and Conference Centre, representatives from the military, politics, local government, and academia jointly analysed how prepared our homeland is to face immense challenges and threats to national security. Ensuring the robustness of the defence system is crucial, as the Congress was organised by the Federation of Regional Associations of Municipalities and Counties of the Republic of Poland – the largest local government organisation in the country – along with the Association of Municipalities and Counties of Małopolska, in cooperation with the Mayor of Kraków, Aleksander Miszalski, and the Małopolska Regional Government. The event was held under the honorary patronage and active participation of Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence. The Programme Council of the Congress was chaired by Professor Jerzy Buzek. Former President of Poland and Minister of National Defence Bronisław Komorowski also addressed the gathering.
The central idea of the Congress was to ensure that our country and its society are genuinely prepared both for the eventuality of armed conflict and major natural disasters.
Welcoming the guests, Kazimierz Barczyk – the initiator of the 1st Nationwide Congress “Defence System of the Republic of Poland: A Safe Poland and Citizens,” Chairman of the Federation of Regional Associations of Municipalities and Counties of the Republic of Poland (which unites 1,000 local government units—municipalities, counties, and regions—across 20 associations) and the Association of Municipalities and Counties of Małopolska – emphasised that this event is a continuation of the earlier conference “Be Ready! Before the Sirens Wail in Kraków.” According to Kazimierz Barczyk, holding such discussions is crucial to ensuring that Poland is adequately prepared for potential threats from Russia, which has been bombing Ukraine for over a thousand days, destroying cities, civilian infrastructure, power plants, and hospitals to devastate daily life and break the morale of Ukrainian citizens.
The Mayor of Kraków, Aleksander Miszalski, highlighted the significant responsibility placed on local governments in ensuring the safety of residents. Jan Tadeusz Duda, Chairman of the Małopolska Regional Council, also emphasised the importance of this issue, pointing out that the significance of security cannot be overstated while a war is ongoing just beyond Poland’s eastern border. In his view, the Congress will undoubtedly contribute to expanding knowledge, exchanging experiences, and improving the coordination of actions aimed at ensuring safety. The Governor of Małopolska, Krzysztof Jan Klęczar, noted that the forthcoming new law on civil protection will further elevate the importance of civil defence within Poland’s overall defence system. Similarly, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, underscored the Congress’s objective: “This Congress is here to ensure that we are truly prepared in the event of war,” he emphasised, stressing the need for a serious approach to national security issues.
It is no surprise that the Defence Minister’s speech garnered the most attention. Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz spoke about the importance of three key elements for effective defence against aggression: the military, alliances, and the entire society. According to him, if war breaks out, the military alone will not be able to face the threat; strong alliances and a well-organised society, resilient to attacks, are essential. The Minister of Defence assured that the current government is making significant efforts to modernise the Polish military. He also emphasised that the most expensive component will be the construction of an air defence system, citing examples of such solutions in Israel. He noted that no European country can independently build such a system and that joint efforts within the European Union in developing missile defence are indispensable. Furthermore, he pointed out that the war is already being waged in the form of disinformation, which can undermine all efforts to improve security.
Bronisław Komorowski: "I Am Full of Concern"
The speech by former President of Poland Bronisław Komorowski resonated strongly among the participants of the 1st Nationwide Congress. He emphasised that the current allocation of over 4% of GDP to the military represents an enormous effort by the entire nation. He appealed for these funds to be spent rationally and wisely, warning that if this effort is squandered, it will be difficult to regain public support for such high defence expenditures in the future. He expressed concern about the political turbulence of recent years. Komorowski reminded the audience that the missile defence system had been prepared long ago and was supposed to be completed in 2018, but successive political administrations questioned its implementation, leaving Poland without an effective air and missile defence system. He called for adjustments to defence plans to align them with real capabilities and the rapidly changing international situation.
Professor Jerzy Buzek, former Prime Minister and Chairman of the Congress Programme Council, highlighted the role of civil society in ensuring national security. In his view, defence efforts begin at the governmental level but culminate at the level of civil society as a whole. In recent years, trust in civil society has been undermined, making its restoration essential. According to Jerzy Buzek, the strength of a civil community lies in its resilience to crises and its ability to deter potential aggressors from attacking. He emphasised the importance of involving all citizens in the defence system, even by providing information on how to survive the first days after a potential attack, cope with power outages, and deal with closed shops. The former Prime Minister praised the initiative to create practical guide leaflets, recently announced by Kazimierz Barczyk during the “Be Ready! Before the Sirens Wail in Kraków” conference.
Experts on the Threats and Challenges Facing Poland
The 1st Nationwide Congress “Defence System of the Republic of Poland: A Safe Poland and Citizens” provided a platform for discussions among experts in defence, representatives of the military, administration, and academia on the real threats facing Poland. Panelists addressed issues such as the geopolitical situation of the country, Russia’s attack on Ukraine, hybrid warfare, cybersecurity, and specifics related to the new civil defence legislation. The debates focused on how to adequately prepare Poland for a potential war, the roles to be played by local government units, Polish universities, and social organisations. The importance of critical infrastructure and protective structures for the population was also highlighted.
The 1st Nationwide Congress “Defence System of the Republic of Poland: A Safe Poland and Citizens” provided a platform for discussions among experts in defence, representatives of the military, administration, and academia on the real threats facing Poland. Panelists addressed issues such as the geopolitical situation of the country, Russia’s attack on Ukraine, hybrid warfare, cybersecurity, and specifics related to the new civil defence legislation. The debates focused on how to adequately prepare Poland for a potential war, the roles to be played by local government units, Polish universities, and social organisations. The importance of critical infrastructure and protective structures for the population was also highlighted.
General Leon Komornicki, former Deputy Chief of the General Staff, posed a rhetorical question: “Do we have a clearly defined defence system for the Republic of Poland?” and immediately answered it himself: “We do not!” He pointed to the lack of a coherent military and defence strategy. In his opinion, the implementation of armament contracts is uncoordinated because there is no clear vision of what exactly we aim to achieve. According to the general, one of the priorities should be the construction of a surface-wide anti-missile “dome” to protect the entire nation rather than just selected facilities.
General Mieczysław Bieniek, former NATO Deputy Commander and current Advisor to the Ministry of National Defence, acknowledged that only the United States and the Russian Federation are self-sufficient in terms of defence. However, he also highlighted positive aspects—Poland’s military modernisation process is ongoing, and participation in NATO structures is of key importance for the country. The Alliance provides real military forces and adequate ammunition reserves. Joint exercises among NATO member states enable better coordination of actions during a potential conflict.
During the discussions, the crucial role of civil defence within the security system was frequently emphasised. Experts pointed to the experiences of other countries, highlighting that the essence of civil defence lies in its mass participation. Marek Budzisz from Strategy&Future stressed that Poland should have at least one million active individuals who know their place within the system—a monumental task for the state. Wiesław Leśniakiewicz, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Interior and Administration, former Chief Commander of the State Fire Service, and Head of Civil Defence of Poland (2008–2015), noted that the new civil defence law cannot be implemented solely through government and local administration efforts—citizens themselves must be actively involved. He assured that financial resources would be allocated for this purpose, including funds for educating the public on recognising and countering threats.
Krzysztof Kosiński, Mayor of Ciechanów and Vice President of the Association of Polish Cities, expressed the concerns of local government officials, who fear receiving insufficient funding to implement the provisions of the new civil defence law. He appealed for adequate time to be given to local governments, as tasks such as building shelters require careful planning and investments that cannot be completed within the next year. Similarly, Stanisław Jastrzębski, Mayor of Długosiodło and President of the Association of Rural Municipalities, pointed out that rural municipalities struggle with a lack of funding and workforce. He noted, however, that preparations cannot take years, as neither natural disasters nor a potential aggressor will wait a decade for us to be ready.
Cybersecurity was an important topic of discussion. Colonel Dariusz Kwiatkowski, Deputy Commander of the Polish Armed Forces’ Cyberspace Defence Component, reported that Poland ranks third in the world in terms of the number of hybrid attacks. These attacks come from Russia and Belarus, but, as he assured, Poland is effectively defending against these threats. Adversaries are identified within our IT systems before they can initiate decisive actions. According to Professor Marcin Niemiec from the Faculty of Computer Science, Electronics, and Telecommunications at AGH University, the fact that such attacks occur during peacetime can paradoxically be beneficial, as it allows users to learn how to respond to crisis situations.
General Edward Gruszka, former Operational Commander of the Polish Armed Forces and Advisor to the Ministry of National Defence, assured that work is underway on regulations to streamline the fight against cyberattacks. The new provisions are intended to facilitate the coordination of actions without the need for lengthy waits for decisions from higher authorities. Meanwhile, Ministry of National Defence advisor Paweł “Naval” Mateńczuk highlighted less obvious aspects of hybrid warfare. According to him, to win in this domain, we need to return to the analog space. For example, the locations of shelters should not be published online; instead, such information should be provided to the population directly, for instance, in the form of printed leaflets.
During the Congress, participants could also visit consultation stands set up by military institutions and organisations responsible for maintaining security. Such a broad and multi-level approach to the issues of national defence and citizen safety holds the potential to significantly strengthen our system and prepare it to face future challenges.