Maj. Gen. pilot Ireneusz Nowak has been appointed by President Karol Nawrocki as the Operational Commander of the Armed Forces. Earlier, the head of state dismissed Lt. Gen. Maciej Klisz from this post, who will take up the position of chief of staff at NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command in Brunssum.
“The nation has clearly stated in elections what the shape of the Polish Armed Forces should be and what it expects from its Commander-in-Chief, and whom he should appoint to the most important positions in the Polish military. These must be officers and generals who have Poland in their hearts, who have broken away from the Soviet and post-Soviet spirit that dominated the Republic after 1945. The nation has said it wants officers and generals who are ready to serve a free, sovereign and independent Poland, and not turn, with a mentality shaped by communist complexes, either towards the East, towards Moscow, or towards the West. The nation has clearly supported a Commander-in-Chief who will strengthen Poland’s potential and power within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Therefore, every general who receives a nomination or is appointed by the Commander-in-Chief, in line with the will of Polish citizens, must have deeply embedded in their biography – not only in their heart and mind, but in their life story – readiness for Poland to strengthen NATO, as well as readiness to build relations with our most important ally, the United States of America”, President Nawrocki said during his speech.
Speaking about the dismissal of the previous operational commander, Lt. Gen. Maciej Klisz, he stressed that in reality it is a promotion. – […] he will now represent the Republic of Poland as chief of staff in the Allied Joint Force Command of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization […] and I congratulate you on this promotion, General, and thank you for your work so far, because in your service record you have proven that the only thing you serve is the Republic of Poland – Nawrocki said.
Referring to Maj. Gen. pilot Ireneusz Nowak, appointed as Operational Commander of the Armed Forces, the president stated that he is a “pilot through and through”, who “carries within him the proud tradition of the Polish Air Force and Polish pilots who served the Republic of Poland in 1939 and in the battle for a free Europe under the skies of Great Britain”.
“A Polish pilot, a Polish aviator, means (…) courage, determination, and the ability to make crucial decisions in a split second”, Nawrocki added. He also emphasized that “international experience and readiness to build a Polish-American alliance” as well as to strengthen Poland’s potential within NATO gives confidence that Poland will remain safe.