“President Andrzej Duda refused to sign the National Security Strategy, which landed on his desk on July 25 this year. I want to say here that President Karol Nawrocki also shares this position of President Andrzej Duda,” revealed the head of the National Security Bureau (BBN), Prof. Sławomir Cenckiewicz, during the Army Congress. He also explained just how flawed the document is.
In July, the Council of Ministers adopted the National Security Strategy — a cyclical document, prepared in cooperation with the National Security Bureau, that provides strategic direction for all state institutions. The previous document of this rank dated back to 2020.
Today in Stalowa Wola, the Army Congress took place with the participation of the BBN leadership, headed by Prof. Sławomir Cenckiewicz. It was there that Cenckiewicz revealed the current stage of work on the new National Security Strategy.
What Will President Nawrocki Decide?
“President Andrzej Duda refused to sign the National Security Strategy, which landed on his desk on July 25 this year. I want to say here that President Karol Nawrocki also shares this position of President Andrzej Duda,” said the BBN chief, making it clear what decision can be expected from President Nawrocki.
He also explained the reasons behind such a decision. The document in question, he said, ignored the feedback previously submitted to the government by BBN officials.
“This strategy does not address the challenges of our era, and we must work together to create a new National Security Strategy,” Cenckiewicz added.
According to the BBN chief, the prepared strategy “failed to properly assess the risk of a full-scale Russian aggression” and omitted Russia’s joint efforts with other countries to create alternative arrangements in the sphere of international order.
“We find the supposed effects of sanctions against Russia to be utterly unreliable. We believe Russia has shifted its economy to a wartime footing and is still capable of expanding its military potential. There’s no point in writing that Russia will run out of steam in the near future,” explained Cenckiewicz.
He also criticized the treatment of illegal migration threats, noting that the strategy focused narrowly on the Belarusian border without addressing the broader issue that also affects borders with Germany and Lithuania. He voiced strong reservations about the sections on green energy, which he argued run counter to the state’s interests.
During his speech, Cenckiewicz also pointed out that recent weeks have shown how crucial defense and allied readiness are for all state institutions. He stressed the need to continue the army’s development initiated under the United Right governments, underlining that military modernization should become a driving force for Poland’s economy.
He emphasized that the Polish soldier must remain at the center of all efforts and be protected accordingly. He also argued that special services — particularly military counterintelligence — cannot be treated as just another office weighed down by bureaucracy.
Cenckiewicz further underlined the strength of the alliance with the United States within NATO.
“Within the North Atlantic Treaty, we must stand with America. We must recognize that Russia’s war against Ukraine is entering a new, dangerous phase, and that China is cementing its strategic alliance with Moscow. In this situation, the United States should focus on maintaining the credibility of its deterrence doctrine. And Poland must be essential to the U.S. in this endeavor. Poland is not only a first-class ally but also the gateway to Europe’s defensive and technological future,” the BBN chief declared.