General Waldemar Skrzypczak, former Deputy Minister of National Defence, has died at the age of 71, according to the miastokolobrzeg.pl news portal.
Waldemar Skrzypczak was born on January 19, 1956, in Szczecin. He was raised in Kołobrzeg in a family with military traditions, which significantly influenced his life choices. He began his military service in 1976 as an officer cadet at the Higher Officer School of Armored Forces in Poznań. Even during his studies, he stood out for his leadership skills.
After graduating from the officer school in 1980, his career progressed rapidly. He held successive positions, starting as a tank platoon commander and later as a company commander. In 1984, he joined the General Staff Academy, graduating with honors. In the following years, he served in various staff and command roles, including in the 68th Tank Regiment and the 33rd Mechanized Regiment.
Commander in Key Positions
In 1991, he took command of the 32nd Mechanized Regiment in Kołobrzeg. He then served as Chief of Staff of the 1st Warsaw Mechanized Division in Legionowo. From 1998 to 2001, he commanded the 16th Pomeranian Mechanized Division in Elbląg. In 2000, he was promoted to brigadier general. His career took on an international dimension in February 2005, when he assumed command of the Multinational Division Central-South in Iraq. For his effective and skillful leadership during this mission, he was later awarded the Commander’s Cross of the Order of the Military Cross by President Lech Kaczyński. After returning to Poland in 2006, he was appointed Commander of the Land Forces and promoted to lieutenant general.
High-Profile Resignation and Return to the Ministry
In August 2009, General Skrzypczak resigned from his position as Commander of the Land Forces. This was a protest against the way the Ministry of National Defence was managing the armed forces. He publicly criticized the insufficient equipment of soldiers being deployed to Afghanistan, which he believed contributed to the death of one of them.
After leaving the military, he became a frequent media commentator on military affairs and wrote an autobiography titled “My War”. In 2011, he returned to the Ministry of Defence as an advisor to Minister Tomasz Siemoniak. From 2012 to 2013, he served as Undersecretary of State for Armament and Modernization at the Ministry of National Defence.
Activity After Leaving Service
On November 28, 2013, he resigned once again, following a report filed by military counterintelligence in April 2013 regarding a possible offense he may have committed. After his final departure from the Ministry of Defence, General Skrzypczak remained active in public discourse on national security and defense issues. He frequently appeared in the media as an expert and launched a blog where he shared his commentary on the current state of the Polish Armed Forces.
Education and Decorations
General Waldemar Skrzypczak was a graduate of the Higher Officer School of Armored Forces in Poznań, the General Staff Academy, and Postgraduate Operational-Strategic Studies at the National Defence Academy in Warsaw. He also completed courses in the United States.
He was the recipient of numerous honors, including the Commander’s Cross of the Order of the Military Cross, the Knight’s and Commander’s Crosses of the Order of Polonia Restituta, and the Gold Cross of Merit. He also received several international awards, including the U.S. Legion of Merit, Portugal’s Grand Officer of the Order of Merit, and Spain’s Grand Cross of Military Merit.