“Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz doesn’t know it yet, but if he follows the path that General Gocuł wants to lead him, he will end up in exactly the same situation as Ministers Klich and Siemoniak,” says Mariusz Błaszczak. In a polemic with General Gocuł, posted on Onet’s website, the former head of the Ministry of National Defense directly states that “Gocuł does not understand how the modern process of programming the development of the armed forces and the state’s preparations for war looks like. .”
Gocuł attacks the former management of the Ministry of National Defense
General Mieczysław Gocuł, former Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Army and currently Chief Military Advisor to the Head of the Ministry of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and Head of the Audit Team of the Ministry of Defense, gave Onet an extensive interview . In it he lists a number of reservations about the previous Defense management team.
The lack of key documents of strategic importance is the tip of the iceberg of the problems we have found in the Ministry of Defense
– said, among other things: Gocul.
The general also made a list of what he believes were irrational military purchases made by his predecessors.
Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz does not know it yet, but if he follows the path that General Gocuł wants to lead him, he will end up in exactly the same situation as Ministers Klich and Siemoniak.
– wrote Mariusz Błaszczak in response to the X platform.
According to him, Kosiniak-Kamysz “will be denied any ability to act, which in light of the war and the current security situation could have tragic consequences.”
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It’s a dangerous game
In a polemic also posted on the Onet website, Błaszczak commented in detail on Gocuła’s allegations.
Firstly, it concerns the claim that “urgent operational needs” were used. As he notes, this was specified in internal Defense Department documents and is consistent with generally applicable regulations. Moreover, “it was also used when General Mieczysław Gocuł was the Chief of the General Staff.”
According to General Gocul, the situation in which the first large-scale war in decades is taking place on our eastern border and Poland has become a frontline country is not sufficient to apply the procedure provided by law for the urgent acquisition of military equipment. equipment? In light of what is happening beyond our eastern border, can we really afford to conduct many years of analysis that has often resulted in the development of assumptions for equipment that no manufacturer in the world can produce, or that no manufacturer in the world can produce? outdated in the final stages of conceptual work?
– asked Błaszczak in a polemic.
According to him, Gocuł “is clearly a supporter of the previous system, which meant that the Minister of Defense could not make any decision on the purchase of equipment due to the lack of a clear military recommendation, and the procedure itself dragged on for many years .”
This is not a concern for the well-being of public finances, the transparency of procedures or the interests of the Polish Armed Forces. General Gocuł again wants to deprive the minister of any decision-making power, at the expense of his own ambitions. This is a dangerous game taking place at the epicenter of a conflict just beyond our borders
– emphasizes the former head of the Ministry of National Defense.
According to Błaszczak, General Gocuł’s model “deprives the minister of any decision-making power and restores the action plan that paralyzes the modernization process.”
This is why the PO-PSL government failed to secure any major arms contract during the years 2007-2015, apart from the contract for Caracal helicopters.
– Błaszczak noted.
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A completely false accusation
He then continues with the claim about the lack of strategic documents. According to the former head of the Ministry of National Defense, “Gocuł does not understand what the modern process of programming the development of the armed forces and the state’s preparations for war looks like.”
The accusation that there is no National Security Strategy or that it is outdated because it does not take into account current threats is completely untrue.
– noted Błaszczak.
According to him, Gocuł has proven “that he does not even know which planning documents are currently in force.”
It is worth noting that despite General Gocul’s questioning of the existence of important strategic documents, the current management of the Ministry of National Defense, in response to an interpellation from a member of the ruling coalition, Jarosław Wałęsa, has declared the implementation of its priorities. based on strategic documents prepared by me in collaboration with the President of the Republic of Poland, namely the Security Strategy of the National Republic of Poland and the Development Program of the Polish Armed Forces for 2021-2035
– emphasizes the former head of the Ministry of National Defense.
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I expect a uniform position from the leadership of the Ministry of National Defense
Another accusation concerned building an army of 300,000 men. Błaszczak recalled that his plan “to create the strongest land army in Europe, which would number at least 300,000 men” professional soldiers, territorial forces and voluntary compulsory military service, was based on analyzes conducted by the General Staff of the Polish Army, which reflected were included in the Armed Forces Development Program and the Package for Strengthening the Polish Armed Forces.
I am convinced of this vision to strengthen the Polish army. This idea also received approval from the military community I worked with
– added.
As he noted, this plan is criticized by General Gocul. However, he pointed out that the current Chief of the General Staff, General Wiesław Kukuła, “recently presented a program based on building an army of 300,000 men, supplemented by 150,000 men.” active reserve soldiers. However, min. On the same day, in an interview for Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz also spoke about the plan to build an army of 300,000 men, “but taking into account the active reserve.”
Within a few days, the Ministry of National Defense presented three different visions for strengthening the numbers of the Polish army. (…) As a former Minister of National Defense, I expect from the leadership of the Ministry of National Defense a clear, unified position on this fundamental issue
– said Błaszczak.
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An approach similar to that of the Polish People’s Republic
The final accusation that the Law and Justice politician refute concerns too much contracted equipment.
This is an accusation I came across during the election campaign, in which General Gocuł, who appeared at the Civic Platform convention, took an active part.
– Błaszczak recalled.
As the former head of the Ministry of Defense notes: “the arms market is not a supermarket where goods are displayed on the shelves and everyone takes what he wants and money.”
This market is small and does not meet the needs of individual countries, and it should be remembered that after the Russian attack on Ukraine, demand has only increased.
– he said.
And he recalled that the PiS government, after taking power, “found the Polish army mainly based on post-Soviet equipment.”
When the war broke out, we decided to donate a large amount of this equipment to the fight against Ukraine, knowing that the Ukrainians were fighting not only for their independence, but also to stop Putin’s further advance into Western Europe.
– he remembered.
He added that it was also an opportunity “to replace post-Soviet equipment, the renovation of which was expensive or often impossible due to limited trade relations with the Russian Federation, with modern equipment that meets the requirements of the modern battlefield. ”
This took place with the acceptance of virtually all political forces in Poland and with broad social consent
– Błaszczak emphasized.
To quickly fill this gap, we have been actively working on various arms markets and accelerating the technical modernization process that has been consistently implemented since 2015.
– added.
In this context, he mentioned, among other things: negotiating contracts with South Korea, permission from the US government for the sale of 500 HIMARS, or a contract for Abrams tanks. He added that an effective and multi-layered Patriot and Mała Narew anti-aircraft and missile defense system was built at the same time. We bought Krab howitzers, Borsuk transporters and Miecznik ships.
An approach that assumes processes are implemented one at a time when they can be executed simultaneously is a waste of time. This is an approach straight from the Polish People’s Republic, which relieves people of responsibility and involvement
– Mariusz Błaszczak finally emphasized.
Onet/cat
Source: wPolityce