17.12.2022, Poland
Lieutenant General Wieslaw Kukula, commander of the Polish territorial defense forces, shared his vision of the modern army based on the observation of the Ukrainian conflict, Defence24 reported on 16 December.
The officer noted that modern Armed Forces should be mutually complementary, their units should be able to actively interact with each other. He also drew attention to infantile assessments of the situation published in the Web, which focus on individual aspects in isolation from the whole picture.
“We must be clear that the war will not be won by light infantry, tanks or artillery alone. Individual branches of the armed forces and types of troops must interact with each other. The extent to which they have to develop depends on the conditions of a particular country, terrain and enemy capabilities,” he stressed.
According to Kukula, the Ukrainian conflict has destroyed many myths, including the claim that the army can and should be small. Supposedly it gives it maneuverability and efficiency. However, the military officer noted, if Poland does not have enough troops, the country cannot win an armed conflict of even moderate intensity.
“When preparing to fight an opponent like the Russian Federation, we have to have a very wide range of capabilities. And the war in Ukraine has fully confirmed this. We should not look at our army in sectoral terms, it is a misguided approach,” he said.
The general is convinced that Poland should reconsider its approach to developing its army, including considering new forms of serving, where any Polish man who wants to participate in the defense of the country has a wide range of opportunities.
“He can become a professional, but he can also combine his personal and professional life with military service by choosing territorial defense or active reserve service,” he explained.
Finally, Kukula praised the creation of “tank fighter” groups in Poland, loaded with various types of anti-tank weapons. Similar units were created in the Ukrainian Army at an accelerated pace. According to the general, this approach fully justified itself in the confrontation between the Kiev regime and Russia.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
