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{{Short description|Combined military forces of Poland}}
{{Infobox national military
| name = Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland
| native_name = {{lang|pl|Siły Zbrojne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej}}
| image = Chorągiew Wojska Polskiego.svg
| alt =
| caption =
| image2 = [[File:POL Wojska Lądowe.svg|60px]] [[File:POL Wojska Lotnicze.svg|60px]] [[File:POL Marynarka Wojenna.svg|60px]] [[File:POL Wojska Specjalne.svg|60px]] [[File:POL Wojska Obrony Terytorialnej.svg|60px]]
| alt2 =
| caption2 = [[Military eagle|Insignia of the Polish Armed Forces' service branches]]
| motto = God, Honor, Fatherland ({{lang|pl|Bóg, Honor, Ojczyzna}})
| founded = 1918
| current_form = January 1990
| disbanded =
| branches = {{unbulletedlist
| {{army|Poland|name=Land Forces|size=25px}}
| {{air force|Poland|name=Air Force|size=25px}}
| {{naval|Poland|name=Navy|size=25px}}
| {{flagicon image|PL special forces flag IIIRP.svg|border=no|size=25px}} [[Polish Special Forces|Special Forces]]
| {{flagicon image|PL territorial defence force flag IIIRP.svg|border=no|size=25px}} [[Territorial Defence Force (Poland)|Territorial Defence Force]]}}
| headquarters = [[Warsaw]]
| flying_hours =
| website = {{URL|https://www.wojsko-polskie.pl}}

| commander-in-chief = {{Flagicon image|Flag of the President of Poland.svg|size=25px}} [[Andrzej Duda]]
| commander-in-chief_title = [[President of Poland|President]] 
| chief minister =
| chief minister_title =
| minister = {{Flagicon image|POL Flaga MON.svg|border=no|size=25px}} [[Mariusz Błaszczak]]
| minister_title = [[Minister of National Defence (Poland)|Minister of National Defence]]
| commander = {{Flagicon image|Flaga Szefa Sztabu Generalnego Wojska Polskiego.svg|size=25px}} [[General]] [[Rajmund Andrzejczak]]
| commander_title = [[Polish General Staff|Chief of the General Staff]]

| age = 18 years of age
| conscription = No
| active = 180,830 (2023)<ref name="globalfirepower.com">{{Cite web | url=https://twitter.com/mblaszczak/status/1699675923967053976 |title=Nowoczesne wojsko – bezpieczna ojczyzna |language=pl |website=gov.pl |date=2023-03-02}}</ref>
| ranked =
| reserve = ~40,000 (2023, [[Territorial Defence Force (Poland)|TDF]])<ref name="TDF">{{cite web|title=TDF numbers|url=https://twitter.com/mblaszczak/status/1605112692133462016|website=twitter}}</ref>
| deployed = 160,000 (2023){{sfn|IISS|2020|p=136}}

| amount = 137.184 billion PLN {{USD|33 billion|link=yes}} (2023)<ref>[https://www.gazetaprawna.pl/wiadomosci/kraj/artykuly/8632694,wydatki-na-obronnosc-kraju-ponad-13718-mld-zl-w-2023-r.html Zakładane wydatki na obronność kraju to ponad 137,18 mld zł w 2023 r. - GazetaPrawna.pl]</ref>
| percent_GDP = 4.2% (2023)<ref>[https://www.gazetaprawna.pl/wiadomosci/kraj/artykuly/8632694,wydatki-na-obronnosc-kraju-ponad-13718-mld-zl-w-2023-r.html Zakładane wydatki na obronność kraju to ponad 137,18 mld zł w 2023 r. - GazetaPrawna.pl]</ref>

| domestic_suppliers = [http://www.pho.pl/pho/docroot/en/ Polish Defence Holding] [http://www.wzms.pl/en/ WZM S.A.] [[PZL-Świdnik]] [[Huta Stalowa Wola|HSW S.A.]] [http://www.obrum.gliwice.pl/ OBRUM] [https://www.zmt.tarnow.pl/wordpress/en/ Tarnów Mechanical Works S.A.]
| foreign_suppliers =
| imports =
| exports =

| history = [[List of Polish wars]] [[Timeline of the Polish Army]]
| ranks = [[Polish Armed Forces rank insignia]]
}}

The '''Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland''' ({{lang-pl|Siły Zbrojne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej}}, abbreviated ''SZ RP''; popularly called {{lang|pl|Wojsko Polskie}} in [[Poland]], abbreviated ''WP''—roughly, the "Polish Military") are the national [[Military|armed forces]] of the Republic of Poland. The name has been used since the early 19th century, but can also be applied to [[Military of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|earlier periods]].

The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland are the Wojska Lądowe ([[Polish Land Forces]]), Marynarka Wojenna ([[Polish Navy]]), Siły Powietrzne ([[Polish Air Force]]s), Wojska Specjalne ([[Polish Special Forces]]) and Wojska Obrony Terytorialnej ([[Territorial Defence Force (Poland)|Polish Territorial Defence Force]]) which are under the command of the Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej ([[Ministry of National Defence (Poland)|Ministry of National Defence of Poland]]).

In 2022, Poland ranked [[List of countries by military expenditures|18th in the world]] in terms of military expenditures and was among the nine [[Member states of NATO|NATO member states]] that have maintained their military spending above the required 2% of annual GDP.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Buchholz |first1=Katharina |title=Where NATO Defense Expenditure Stands in 2022 |url=https://www.statista.com/chart/14636/defense-expenditures-of-nato-countries/ |website=statista |access-date=2 October 2022}}</ref> In accordance with the [[Homeland Defence Act]], enacted as a response to the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]], Poland plans to spend 137.184 billion PLN ({{USD|33 billion|link=yes}}) on its military in 2023, including the annual military budget and subsidies from the Armed Forces Auxiliary Fund (Fundusz Wsparcia Sił Zbrojnych).<ref>[https://www.gazetaprawna.pl/wiadomosci/kraj/artykuly/8632694,wydatki-na-obronnosc-kraju-ponad-13718-mld-zl-w-2023-r.html Zakładane wydatki na obronność kraju to ponad 137,18 mld zł w 2023 r. - GazetaPrawna.pl]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ciślak |first=Jarosław |title=Polska planuje gigantyczne wydatki na obronność w 2023 roku |trans-title=Poland is planning gigantic defense spending in 2023 |url=https://defence24.pl/polityka-obronna/polska-planuje-gigantyczne-wydatki-na-obronnosc-w-2023-roku |access-date=2022-12-23 |website=defence24.pl |language=pl}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Karnitschnig |first=Matthew |last2=Kość |first2=Wojciech |date=2022-11-21 |title=Meet Europe’s coming military superpower: Poland |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-military-superpower-poland-army/ |access-date=2022-12-23 |website=POLITICO |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Mission==
[[File:1 PBOT oznk rozp (2019) mundur p.jpg|thumb|upright|Emblem of the Polish [[Territorial Defence Force (Poland)|Territorial Defence Force]]]]

Pursuant to the national security strategy of Poland, the supreme strategic goal of Poland's military forces is to ensure favourable and secure conditions for the realization of national interests by eliminating external and internal threats, reducing risks, rightly assessing undertaken challenges, and ably using existing opportunities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wp.mil.pl/pliki/File/English/strategia_obronnosci_eng.pdf |title=Strategic defence goals |publisher=[[Ministry of National Defence (Poland)|Ministry of National Defence]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904203723/http://www.wp.mil.pl/pliki/File/English/strategia_obronnosci_eng.pdf |archive-date=September 4, 2011 |pages=7–8}}</ref> The Republic of Poland's
main strategic goals in the area of defence include:
* Ensuring the independence and sovereignty of the Republic of Poland, as well as its integrality and the inviolability of its borders
* Defence and protection of all the citizens of the Republic of Poland
* Creating conditions to ensure the continuity of the implementation of functions by public administration authorities and other entities competent in the area of national security, including entities responsible for running the economy and for other areas important for the life and security of its citizens
* Creating conditions for the improvement of the state's national defence capabilities and ensuring defence readiness in allied structures
* Developing partnership military cooperation with other states, especially neighbouring ones
* Implementing commitments arising from Poland's [[NATO]] and [[European Union]] membership
* Engaging in international crisis response operations led by NATO, the EU, the UN, and as a part of emergency coalitions

==History==
{{Main|History of the Polish Army}}

===Origins and establishment===
The [[List of Polish wars]] chronicles Polish military involvements since the year 972. The present armed forces trace their roots to the early 20th century, yet the history of Polish armed forces in their broadest sense stretches back much further. After the [[partitions of Poland]], during the period from 1795 until 1918, Polish military was recreated several times during national insurrections that included the [[November Uprising]] of 1830, and the [[January Uprising]] in 1863, and the [[Napoleonic Wars]] that saw the formation of the [[Polish Legions in Italy]]. The [[Congress Poland]], being part of the [[Russian Empire]] with a certain degree of autonomy, had a separate Polish army in the years 1815–1830, which was disbanded after the unsuccessful November Uprising. Large numbers of Poles also served in the armies of the partitioning powers, [[Russian Empire]], [[Austria-Hungary]] and [[German Empire]].

During [[World War I]], the [[Polish Legions in World War I|Polish Legions]] were set up in [[Galicia (Eastern Europe)|Galicia]], the southern part of Poland under Austrian occupation. They were both disbanded after the [[Central Powers]] failed to provide guarantees of Polish independence after the war. General [[Józef Haller]], the commander of the Second Brigade of the Polish Legion, switched sides in late 1917, and via [[Murmansk]] took part of his troops to [[France]], where he created the [[Blue Army (Poland)|Blue Army]]. It was joined by several thousand Polish volunteers from the [[United States]]. It fought on the French front in 1917 and 1918.

The Polish Army was recreated in 1918 from elements of the three separate Russian, Austro-Hungarian, and German armies, and armed with equipment left following World War I. The force expanded during the [[Polish–Soviet War]] of 1919–1922 to nearly 800,000 men, but then were reduced after peace was reestablished.

[[File:Polish president with army.PNG|thumb|left|[[President of Poland]] inspecting troops during the [[Armed Forces Day (Poland)|Armed Forces Day]] parade in [[Warsaw]], 2007]]

At the onset of [[World War II]], on 1 September 1939 Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Polish forces were overwhelmed by the [[Invasion of Poland|German attack in September 1939]], which was followed on 17 September 1939 by [[Soviet invasion of Poland|an invasion by the Soviet Union]]. Some Polish forces escaped from the occupied country and joined Allied forces fighting in other theaters while those that remained in Poland splintered into guerilla units of the ''Armia Krajowa'' ("[[Home Army]]") and [[Polish resistance movement in World War II|other partisan groups]] which fought in clandestine ways against the foreign occupiers. Thus, there were three threads to Polish armed forces from 1939; the [[Polish Armed Forces in the West]], the ''Armia Krajowa'' and other resistance organizations fighting the Germans in Poland, and the [[Polish Armed Forces in the East]], which later became the post-war communist [[Polish People's Army]] (LWP).

Until the [[Revolutions of 1989|fall of communism]], the army's prestige under communist rule continued to fall, as it was used by the government to resettle ethnic minorities immediately after the war ([[Operation Vistula]]), and to violently suppress opposition several times, during the [[Poznań 1956 protests|1956 Poznań protests]], the [[1970 Polish protests]], and during [[martial law in Poland]] in 1981–1983. The LWP also took part in the suppressing of the 1968 democratization process of Czechoslovakia, commonly known as the [[Prague Spring]]. That same year Marshal of Poland Marian Spychalski was asked to replace [[Edward Ochab]] as chairman of the [[Polish Council of State|Council of State]], and General [[Wojciech Jaruzelski]], at that time the [[Polish General Staff|Chief of the General Staff]], was named to replace him.<ref>Michta, 1990, p.59, citing the Polish army daily ''Żołnierz Wolności'', April 12, 1968</ref> Jaruzelski, a known Soviet loyalist, was put in place by the Soviets in order to ensure that a trusted group of officers was in control of one of the least trusted armies in the Warsaw Pact.<ref>Michta, 1990, p.62. Michta's footnote emphasises that Spychalski would not have been the right officer to have in charge of the [[Polish People's Army]] during the invasion.</ref>

===Republic of Poland===
[[File:List of wars involving Poland since 1990.png|thumb|350px|Polish military interventions since 1990: [[Gulf War]], [[Operation Uphold Democracy]], [[War on Terror]] and [[Operation Serval]]]]

After January 1990 and the collapse of the communist block, the name of the armed forces was changed to "Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland" to accord with the Polish State's new official name. Following the subsequent disbandment of the [[Warsaw Pact]], Poland was admitted into [[NATO]] on 12 March 1999 and the Polish armed forces began a major reorganization effort in order to conform to the new western standards.

====Involvement in Afghanistan (2002-2014)====
From 2002 until 2014, Polish military forces were part of the [[Coalition Forces]] that participated in the [[International Security Assistance Force|ISAF]] mission in [[Afghanistan]] led by [[NATO]]. Poland's contribution to ISAF was the country's largest since its entrance into NATO. Polish forces also took part in the [[Iraq War]]. From 2003 to 2008, Polish military forces commanded the Multinational Division [[Multinational Division Central-South|(MND-CS)]] located in the South-Central Occupation Zone of Iraq. The division was made up of troops from 23 nations and totaled as many as 8,500 soldiers.

====Invasion of Iraq (2003)====
In March 2003, the Polish Armed Forces took part in the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]], [[Polish involvement in the 2003 invasion of Iraq|deploying special forces and a support ship]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Domisiewicz |first=Rafał |url=https://www.bundesheer.at/pdf_pool/publikationen/10_wg12_psm_70.pdf |title=Consolidating the Security Sector in Post-Conflict States: Polish Lessons from Iraq |quote=Around 200 Polish soldiers took part in combat, including [[JW GROM|GROM]] and [[JW Formoza|Formoza]] (Naval Frogmen Group) special forces, a chemical decontamination unit as well as the [[ORP Kontradmirał Xawery Czernicki|ORP Kontradmirał X. Czernicki]] logistical ship. |publisher=[[Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs]] |access-date=April 4, 2021}}</ref> Following the destruction of Saddam's regime the [[Polish Land Forces]] supplied a brigade and a division headquarters for the 17-nation [[Multinational Division Central-South]], part of the U.S.-led [[Multi-National Force – Iraq]]. At its peak Poland had 2,500 soldiers in the south of the country.

====Peacekeeping missions====
Other completed operations include 2005 'Swift Relief' in Pakistan, in which [[NATO Response Force]]-allocated personnel were despatched. [[Polish Land Forces]] personnel sent to Pakistan included a [[Military engineering|military engineers]] company, a platoon of the [[JW Komandosów|1st Special Commando Regiment]], and a logistics component from the 10th Logistics Brigade. Elsewhere, Polish forces were sent to [[United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad|MINURCAT]] in Chad and the [[Central African Republic]] (2007–2010).

As of 2008, Poland had deployed 985 personnel in eight separarate UN peacekeeping operations (the [[United Nations Disengagement Observer Force]], [[United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara|MINURSO]], [[MONUSCO|MONUC]], [[United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire|UNOCI]], [[United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon|UNIFIL]], [[United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea|UNMEE]], [[United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo|UNMIK]], [[United Nations Mission in Liberia|UNMIL]], and [[United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia|UNOMIG]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://skmponz.w.interia.pl/misje.htm |title=Wojskowe misje ONZ z udziałem Polaków |trans-title=UN military missions with Polish participation |language=pl |publisher=Interia |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111117000543/http://skmponz.w.interia.pl/misje.htm |archive-date=November 17, 2011}}</ref>

[[File:GROM DN-SD-04-01612.JPEG|thumb|left|[[GROM]] special operations unit secures a section of the port of [[Umm Qasr]] in [[Iraq]], 2003]]
[[File:Polish Rosomak in Afghanistan.jpg|thumb|Polish army's [[KTO Rosomak|Rosomak]] armored vehicle on patrol in [[Ghazni]], [[Afghanistan]], 2010]]

====Fully professional army (2010)====
Formerly set up according to [[Warsaw Pact]] standards, the Polish armed forces are now fully organized according to [[NATO]] requirements. Poland is also playing an increasingly larger role as a major European peacekeeping power in the world through various UN peacekeeping actions, and cooperation with neighboring nations through multinational formations and units such as the [[Multinational Corps Northeast]] and [[Polish–Ukrainian Peace Force Battalion|POLUKRBAT]]. As of 1 January 2010, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland have transitioned to a completely contract-based manpower supply system.

On 10 April 2010, a [[2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash|Polish Air Force Tu-154M crashed]] near Smolensk, Russia while in transit to a ceremony commemorating the [[Katyn massacre]]. On board the plane were the President (Commander-in-Chief), the Chief of Staff, all four Branch Commanders of the Polish Military, and a number of other military officials; all were killed.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}

In 2014–2015, the [[Armed Forces General Command (Poland)|Armed Forces General Command]] and [[Armed Forces Operational Command (Poland)|Armed Forces Operational Command]] were both established, superseding the previous individual service branch command structures.

====Homeland Defence Act (2022)====
Prompted in part by the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]], the [[Homeland Defence Act]] was unanimously passed by the Polish parliament on March 17, 2022 and signed into law by [[President Duda]] the following day. In accordance with the act, Poland intends to roughly double the size of the armed forces to 300,000 personnel, and to spend at least 3% of GDP on defence budget in 2023.<ref name=polramp>{{Cite news |date=2022-03-03 |title=Poland to ramp up defence spending, army as Ukraine war rages |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/poland-ramp-up-defence-spending-army-ukraine-war-rages-2022-03-03/ |access-date=2022-03-23}}</ref> This includes increasing the size of the tank fleet by adding approximately 1,000 new tanks and adding 600 new howitzers to Poland's ground forces.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/09/poland-land-forces-ready-to-defend-nato/ | title=How Strong is Poland's Army and Could It Take on Russia? | date=16 September 2022 }}</ref> Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister [[Mariusz Blaszczak]] said that it is Poland's goal to build the most powerful ground forces of all the North Atlantic Treaty Organization members in Europe.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://english.news.cn/europe/20220729/ab51fff567d8443a9b43e5cdd6ed36aa/c.html | title=Poland to build Europe's strongest NATO army: Defense minister-Xinhua }}</ref>

==Equipment==
{{Further||List of equipment of the Polish Land Forces|Polish Air Force#Current inventory|Polish Navy#Ships and naval aircraft|Polish Special Forces#Equipment|Military Gendarmerie (Poland)#Equipment|Polish Military Modernization}}

[[File:B-52 works with Polish F-16s.jpg|thumb|A [[Polish Air Force]] [[F-16]]C Fighting Falcon during a military exercise, 2019]]

Since 2011, the Armed Forces are in the middle of a long-term modernization program. Plans involve new anti-aircraft missile systems, ballistic missile defense systems, a Lead-In Fighter Trainer (LIFT) aircraft, medium transport and combat helicopters, submarines, unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as self-propelled howitzers.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}} Technical modernization plans for the years 2013 through to 2022 have been put in place.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://www.defense-aerospace.com/cgi-bin/client/modele.pl?shop=dae&modele=release&prod=141459 |title=Technical Modernisation of Polish Armed Forces 2013–2022 |date=December 14, 2012 |publisher=[[Ministry of National Defence (Poland)|Ministry of National Defence]] |via=defense-aerospace.com |access-date=April 4, 2021}}</ref> During the 2013 to 2016 period of the plan, 37.8 billion PLN, or 27.8% of the period's military budget of 135.5 billion PLN was invested into technical modernisation.<ref name=":0" />

[[File:ORP Ślązak 2015-1.jpg|thumb|left|ORP ''Ślązak'' [[patrol boat|offshore patrol vessel]] in the [[Baltic sea]], 2015]]

Significant military equipment acquisitions are also planned for through the 2022 period, with the Ministry of Defense outlying 61 billion [[Polish złoty|złoty]] to be spent on further modernization. A major feature of the program is the acquisition of around 1,200 unmanned aerial vehicles, including at least 1,000 with combat capabilities.

Additionally, new helicopters and air defense systems are to be procured along with five light vessels for the navy. A new submarine force is to be jointly operated with a NATO partner, and general upgrade and modernization efforts are aimed at the country's air defenses, naval forces, cyber warfare capabilities, armored forces, and territorial defense forces (to have 50,000 volunteer members).<ref name="DW20161207">{{cite web |url=https://www.defenseworld.net/news/17890/Poland_To_Spend__14_5_Billion_For_Military_Procurement_From_2017_2022#.WEg7FVKsBZE |title=Poland To Spend $14.5 Billion For Military Procurement From 2017-2022 |website=defenseworld.net |date=December 7, 2016 |access-date=April 4, 2021}}</ref>

==Organization==
The Polish Armed Forces consist of 325,000 active duty personnel.{{sfn|IISS|2021|p=66}} In 2020, troop strength in the five different branches was as follows:
* '''[[Polish Land Forces|Land Forces]]''' (''Wojska Lądowe''): 71,200, Reserve 35,000 {{sfn|IISS|2020|p=135}}
* '''[[Polish Air Force|Air Force]]''' (''Siły Powietrzne''): 46,500{{sfn|IISS|2020|p=135}}
* '''[[Polish Navy|Navy]]''' (''Marynarka Wojenna''): 17,000{{sfn|IISS|2020|p=135}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mon.gov.pl/pl/strona/206/LG_54_181 |title=Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej, Uzbrojenie |publisher=[[Ministry of National Defence (Poland)|Ministry of National Defence]] |date=March 21, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120630034613/http://www.mon.gov.pl/pl/strona/206/LG_54_181 |archive-date=June 30, 2012 |access-date=March 13, 2010}}</ref>
* '''[[Polish Special Forces|Special Forces]]''' (''Wojska Specjalne''): 3,500{{sfn|IISS|2020|p=135}}
* '''[[Territorial Defence Force (Poland)|Territorial Defence Force]]''' (''Wojska Obrony Terytorialnej''): 32,000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://media.terytorialsi.wp.mil.pl/informacje/715705/cel-32-tys-zolnierzy-zostal-zrealizowany/|title=The goal of 32,000 has been achieved|date=December 12, 2021}}</ref>

All five branches are supported by:
* '''Military infrastructure''': 25,500,{{sfn|IISS|2020|p=134}} including:
**[[Ministry of National Defence (Poland)|Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Poland]] (''Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej'')
** [[Integrated logistics support|Central support]]
**[[Command (military formation)|Military command]]
**[[Military supply-chain management|Supply]] and [[military logistics]]
* '''[[Military Gendarmerie (Poland)|Military Gendarmerie]]''' (''Żandarmeria Wojskowa''): 4,500<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dz.urz.mon.gov.pl/zasoby/dziennik/pozycje/zalaczniki/2013/02/Zal._do_Poz._49_2.pdf |title=Dochody budżetowe Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej na 2013 rok |trans-title=Budget income of the Ministry of National Defense for 2013 |language=pl |access-date=April 4, 2021}}</ref>

==Traditions==
{{See also|Polish Armed Forces rank insignia|Polish military awards and decorations|Polish military eagle}}
[[File:74. rocznica zakończenia II wojny światowej w Europie.jpg|thumb|[[Representative Honor Guard Regiment of the Polish Armed Forces|Honor Guard]] at the [[Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Warsaw)|Tomb of the Unknown Soldier]] in Warsaw's [[Piłsudski Square]]]]

The Polish armed forces has consistently held two yearly military parades ({{lang-pl|Defilada wojskowa}}) on [[Armed Forces Day (Poland)|Armed Forces Day]] and [[National Independence Day (Poland)|National Independence Day]]. These parades take place on [[Ujazdów Avenue]] and near the [[Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Warsaw|Tomb of the Unknown Soldier]] on [[Piłsudski Square]] respectively. The Armed Forces Day Parade was introduced in 2007 and 2008 as first grand military parades since the holiday was reinstated and have been held yearly since 2013. The first Polish military parade took place on 17 January 1945 and as of 2019, the [[3 May Constitution Day]] parade was officially reinstated.

''[[Marsz Generalski]]'' and ''[[Warszawianka (1831)]]'' are the main military musical pieces performed at ceremonial events. While the former is a solemn march used during inspections and the march on of the Polish flag, the latter is a march strictly used for march pasts, [[military parades]] and other processions.

The Polish Armed Forces are the only military entity in the world to use a [[two-finger salute]] which is only used while wearing a hat (it refers to the fact that the salute is given to the emblem itself) with the emblem of the Polish eagle, such as military hat [[rogatywka]]. The salute is performed with the middle and index fingers extended and touching each other, while the ring and little fingers are bent and touched by the thumb. The tips of the middle and index fingers touch the peak of the cap, two fingers supposedly meaning Honour and Fatherland (Honor i Ojczyzna).

''Czołem Żołnierze'' (the [[Polish language]] version of ''Greetings Soldiers'') is the official military greeting of the armed forces, usually given by the members of the government or military establishment as well as visiting dignitaries during ceremonial occasions. The soldiers will usually respond with ''Czołem (States title/rank of dignitary<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.polsatnews.pl/wiadomosc/2016-08-23/czolem-panie-ministrze-tak-zolnierze-powitali-rzecznika-mon/|title="Czołem, panie ministrze" - tak żołnierze powitali rzecznika MON |date=August 23, 2016 |website=Polsat News}}</ref>)''.

==See also==
* [[Polish Armed Forces (Second Polish Republic)]]
* [[Main Directorate of Information of the Polish Army]] (GZI WP)
* [[Internal Military Service]] (WSW)
* [[Border Protection Troops]] (WOP)
* [[Polish Legions (Napoleonic period)]]
* [[Polish Military Organisation]]
* [[Armia Ludowa]]
* [[Gwardia Ludowa]]
* [[Polish forces in the West]]
* [[Polish forces in the East]]
**[[Anders' Army]]
*[[First Polish Army (1944–1945)]]
*[[Armia Krajowa]]

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=IISS |title=The Military Balance 2020 |year=2020 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0367466398 }}
* {{cite book |last=IISS |title=The Military Balance 2021 |year=2021 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1032012278 }}
* Rafał Domisiewicz, [http://www.bmlv.gv.at/pdf_pool/publikationen/10_wg12_psm_70.pdf Consolidating the Security Sector in Post-Conflict States: Polish Lessons from Iraq], Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
* Andrew A. Michta, ''Red Eagle: The Army in Polish Politics 1944–1988'', Hoover Press, 1990.
* {{Cite web |url=http://www.isn.ethz.ch/Digital-Library/Publications/Detail/?lng=en&id=156791 |title=Poland: Defense Strategy 2009 |access-date=November 17, 2014 |archive-date=November 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141117205556/http://www.isn.ethz.ch/Digital-Library/Publications/Detail/?lng=en&id=156791 |url-status=bot: unknown }}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
* Remigiusz Wilk, "Work in Progress", ''[[Jane's Defence Weekly]]'', 20 August 2012

==External links==

* [https://www.gov.pl/web/obrona-narodowa Official website] of the [[Ministry of National Defence (Poland)|Ministry of National Defense]] {{in lang|pl}}
* [https://www.wojsko-polskie.pl/sgwp/ Official website] of the [[Polish General Staff]] {{in lang|pl}}
* [https://www.wojsko-polskie.pl/dorsz/ Official website] of the [[Armed Forces Operational Command (Poland)|Armed Forces Operational Command]] {{in lang|pl}}
* [https://www.wojsko-polskie.pl/kgzw/ Official website] of the [[Military Gendarmerie (Poland)|Military Gendarmerie]] {{in lang|pl}}
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051127112508/http://www.army.mil.pl/strona_pl/glowna/irak/iraq_foto/galeria1/galeria.html |date=November 27, 2005 |title=Pictures of the Polish Army in Iraq (2003)}}
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160208124935/http://www.polishsoldier.nl/introduction/ |date=February 8, 2016 |title=Polish forces in the West – study of the Polish participation in the liberation of Western Europe}}

{{Poland topics}}
{{Military of Poland}}
{{North Atlantic Treaty Organization}}
{{Militaries of European Union member states}}
{{Military of Europe}}
{{Polish wars and conflicts}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Military of Poland| ]]
[[Category:Permanent Structured Cooperation]]

Polish Armed Forces - Revision history

AnonyMo: expanded content

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article