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The Territorial Defence Force – TDF (Polish: Wojska Obrony Terytorialnej – WOT) is the fifth military branch of the Polish Armed Forces, following Land Forces, Air Force, Navy and Special Forces. The force is made up of professional and part-time volunteer soldiers, forming part of the country's defence and deterrence system. Formed in 2016, it had reached 24,000 personnel by July 2019, and was slated to reach a size of around 53,000 personnel in 17 light infantry brigades by 2021. The creation of the Polish TDF relates to the reforms in the Baltic states' Territorial Defence Forces to provide response during the early stages of a hybrid conflict.
History
The Territorial Defence Force is a planned reserve component of Polish Armed Forces. A similar, identically named organization had existed in the country since 1965, but was disbanded in 2008 as part of a modernization program. The re-creation of the Territorial Defence Force was first announced in 2015 in reaction to the war in Donbass and concern that Poland's existing military would be ill-equipped to confront an adversary under similar conditions of low-intensity conflict. According to government officials, public reception to the idea was positive with 11,000 persons registering interest in joining the force within the first few months after the initial announcement. The program was subsequently formalized with the signing of "a new document concerning the functioning of the territorial defense concept" by Minister of Defence of Poland Antoni Macierewicz in a ceremony held at Warsaw's Waldemar Milewicz General Secondary School on 27 April 2016. The force was formally established on 1st of January, 2017.
On 21 May 2017 the first military oath in the history of WOT took place in Białystok, Lublin and Rzeszów.
On the basis of Decision No. 140 / MON of the Minister of National Defense of 28 June 2017, TDF was declared the successor to the traditions of the Home Army National Command (1942–1945) of the Second World War, while being the de facto successor to the heritage of its forebears.
Organization
Plans announced in January 2016 called for what officials said would eventually become a 46,000-man contingent, though initially the WOT would consist of just three brigades sited in the north east of the country and funded with an annual appropriation of approximately €60 million; it was later reported the force would have a maximum size of 35,000 personnel. As envisaged, the Territorial Defence Force is to be a part-time, all-volunteer organization, with soldiers receiving 30 days of military training per year. Unlike existing reserve forces, which upon mobilization are integrated into regular components of the Polish military, the Territorial Defence Force will be designed to operate autonomously in home areas and with personnel drawn from the local population. According to Polish military planners, this set-up would be most effective in countering hybrid warfare. As part of the Ministry of Defense acquisition plans for 2017–2022, the total number of volunteers was set to 50,000 and a budget of 3.2 billion zloty outlaid to arm and equip them.
Besides responding to external military threats, the WOT will, according to the Defense Ministry, help strengthen Poland's "patriotic and Christian foundations".
Poland is divided into 16 Voivodeships. The Territorial Defence Troops follow the administrative division with a brigade formed in each voievodship. The exception is the Masovian, which has two territorial defence brigades due to the significance of the capital Warsaw. For mobilisation duties and liaison to the local authorities there is a Voievodship Military Staff in each of the 16 voievodships and the territorial brigades' HQs are located nearby. The commander of the Territorial Defence Troops is a division general and the brigades are commanded by colonels.
HQ in Warsaw
1st Podlaska Territorial Defence Brigade "Col. Władysław Liniarski „Mścisław”" in Białystok
11th Light Infantry Battalion in Białystok
12th Light Infantry Battalion in Suwałki
13th Light Infantry Battalion in Łomża
14th Light Infantry Battalion in Bielsk Podlaski
2nd Lublin Territorial Defence Brigade "Maj. Hieronim Dekutowski „Zapora”" in Lublin
21st Light Infantry Battalion in Lublin
22nd Light Infantry Battalion in Dęblin
23rd Light Infantry Battalion in Biała Podlaska
24th Light Infantry Battalion in Chełm
25th Light Infantry Battalion in Zamość
3rd Podkarpacka Territorial Defence Brigade "Col. Łukasz Ciepliński" in Rzeszów
31st Light Infantry Battalion in Rzeszów
32nd Light Infantry Battalion in Nisko
33rd Light Infantry Battalion in Dębica
34th Light Infantry Battalion in Jarosław
35th Light Infantry Battalion in Sanok
4th Warmian-Masurian Territorial Defence Brigade "Capt. Gracjan Klaudiusz Fróg „Szczerbiec”" in Olsztyn
41st Light Infantry Battalion in Giżycko
42nd Light Infantry Battalion in Morąg
43rd Light Infantry Battalion in Braniewo
44th Light Infantry Battalion in Ełk
45th Light Infantry Battalion in Olsztyn
5th Masovian Territorial Defence Brigade "1Lt. Mieczysław Dziemieszkiewicz „Rój”" in Ciechanów (covering Northern Masovia)
51st Light Infantry Battalion in Ciechanów
52nd Light Infantry Battalion in Komorowo
53rd Light Infantry Battalion in Siedlce
54th Light Infantry Battalion in Zegrze Południowe
6th Masovian Territorial Defence Brigade "Rotmistrz Witold Pilecki" in Radom
61st Light Infantry Battalion in Grójec
62nd Light Infantry Battalion in Radom
Light Infantry Battalion in Płock
Light Infantry Battalion in Książenice
Light Infantry Battalion in Pomiechówek
7th Pomeranian Territorial Defence Brigade in Gdańsk
71st Light Infantry Battalion in Malbork
72nd Light Infantry Battalion in Kościerzyna
73rd Light Infantry Battalion in Słupsk
8th Kuyavian-Pomeranian Territorial Defence Brigade "Brig. Gen. Elżbieta Zawacka „Zo”" in Bydgoszcz
81st Light Infantry Battalion in Toruń
82nd Light Infantry Battalion in Inowrocław
83rd Light Infantry Battalion in Grudziądz
9th Łódź Territorial Defence Brigade in Łódź
91st Light Infantry Battalion in Zgierz
92nd Light Infantry Battalion in Kutno
93rd Light Infantry Battalion in Łask
94th Light Infantry Battalion in Piotrków Trybunalski
10th Świętokrzyska Territorial Defence Brigade "Maj. Eugeniusz Gedymin Kaszyński „Nurt”" in Kielce
101st Light Infantry Battalion in Kielce
102nd Light Infantry Battalion in Sandomierz
103rd Light Infantry Battalion in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski
11th Lesser Poland Territorial Defence Brigade in Kraków
Command company in Rząska
Logistic company in Oświęcim
Sapper company in Rząska
Training company in Rząska
Medical support group in Rząska
111st Light Infantry Battalion in Rząska
112nd Light Infantry Battalion in Oświęcim
113th Light Infantry Battalion in Tarnów
114th Light Infantry Battalion in Limanowa
12th Greater Poland Territorial Defence Brigade in Poznań
151st Light Infantry Battalion in Skwierzyna
121st Light Infantry Battalion in Poznań (Ławica)
122nd Light Infantry Battalion in Dolaszewo
123rd Light Infantry Battalion in Turek
124th Light Infantry Battalion in Śrem
125th Light Infantry Battalion in Leszno
13th Silesian Territorial Defence Brigade in Katowice
131st Light Infantry Battalion in Gliwice
132nd Light Infantry Battalion in Częstochowa
133rd Light Infantry Battalion in Cieszyn
134th Light Infantry Battalion in Kuźnia Raciborska
171st Light Infantry Battalion in Brzeg
14th West Pomeranian Territorial Defence Brigade in Szczecin
141st Light Infantry Battalion in Choszczno
142nd Light Infantry Battalion in Trzebiatów
16th Lower Silesian Territorial Defence Brigade in Wrocław
161st Light Infantry Battalion in Wrocław
162nd Light Infantry Battalion in Głogów
163rd Light Infantry Battalion in Wałbrzych
Each brigade also has a command, a support, a sapper and a logistic company, carrying the brigade's number.
Tasks
The Territorial Defense Forces are dedicated to:
Conducting defense activities in cooperation with the Operational Forces and supporting elements of the non-military system.
Carrying out unconventional activities, anti-sabotage and offensive landing.
Participate in safeguarding the reception and development of allied reinforcement forces in commanded areas.
Implementation of projects in the area of: crisis management, the eradication of natural disasters and the elimination of their effects, property protection, search and rescue operations.
maintaining universal readiness to defend the Republic of Poland.
Cooperating with elements of the state's defense system.
Shaping attitudes and values in society.
See also
Polish Land Forces
Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Forces
Territorial Defense Forces (Ukraine)
Home Guard