Former officer of the Military Intelligence Services (WSI) and current head of the Military Counterintelligence Service (SKW), Jarosław Stróżyk, is actively seeking the position of NATO Deputy Secretary General for Intelligence and Security. His nomination could not only undermine Poland’s standing on the international stage but also pose a serious risk to the cohesion of the entire North Atlantic Alliance.
Who is the man whose past raises so many questions? Jarosław Stróżyk was born on January 16, 1969, in Gdańsk, but grew up in Lower Silesia. Between 1987 and 1991, during the final years of the People’s Republic of Poland (PRL) and amid strong anti-communist sentiment, he studied at the Higher School of Mechanized Forces Officers. Although he came from a stronghold of Solidarity, at the age of 18 he chose to join the communist Union of Socialist Polish Youth (ZSMP). In October 1987, he took an oath of allegiance to the PRL constitution, pledging to fight the “imperialist threat” in alliance with the Soviet Army.
After graduating in 1991, in a now-free Poland, Second Lieutenant Stróżyk quickly requested to be discharged from the army, citing a lack of satisfaction. When his request was denied, he began looking for a different path within the military. The turning point came with a course at Fort Benning in the United States in 1995, which opened the door for him to the Military Intelligence Services. In May 1996, after completing counterintelligence training, he began serving in WSI – first in the 11th Lubusz Armored Cavalry Division, and later in the 3rd Directorate (Counterintelligence) of the WSI Inspectorate.
Between 1999 and 2002, he served in the Polish Military Representation to the NATO Military Committee. After returning to Poland, he joined the WSI’s Studies and Analysis Directorate (2002–2006), where his superior was Colonel Mirosław Minkina, a former political officer of the Polish People’s Army (LWP) who later became the supervisor of Stróżyk’s doctoral thesis. During this time, Stróżyk rapidly advanced to the rank of major (2003) and lieutenant colonel (2004).
His mission as a senior specialist at U.S. CENTCOM in Florida ended in June 2007 with an international scandal. He was recalled for failing to coordinate Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński’s flight to Iraq, which resulted in the government delegation’s plane being forced to turn back. After the dissolution of the WSI in 2006, he passed the vetting process and was placed in the Ministry of National Defence’s personnel reserve.
Return to Favor and Rising Controversy
Stróżyk returned to active duty during the Civic Platform–Polish People’s Party (PO-PSL) coalition government. In 2008, he became director of the analytical department of the Military Intelligence Service (SWW) and was promoted to colonel. From 2010 to 2013, as deputy director at NATO’s International Military Staff in Brussels, he was promoted to brigadier general (2011). In the following years (2013–2015), he served as Poland’s defense attaché in Washington, from where he was recalled in December 2015 by Minister of National Defence Antoni Macierewicz.
After leaving the army, he became politically active, openly supporting the Civic Platform and Rafał Trzaskowski. He became known for his harsh criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump, accusing him of undermining NATO. At the same time, he called for closer relations with Germany and criticized the modernization of the Polish Armed Forces. Particularly troubling is the fact that as late as February 2022, he publicly dismissed the possibility of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In December 2023, he was appointed head of the Military Counterintelligence Service (SKW), and in May 2024 he took charge of the Government Commission on Russian and Belarusian Influence. Under his leadership, the SKW underwent purges, and one of his deputies became Colonel Krzysztof Dusza, who had previously referred to Russia’s FSB as a “partner service.”
The Russian Connection: The University of Siedlce and Ties to the FSB
Particular concern arises from General Stróżyk’s ties to the University of Siedlce, where he defended his doctoral thesis. As noted by Sławomir Cenckiewicz, Michał Rachoń, and Mariusz Kozłowski, the university signed cooperation agreements with 24 Russian and 7 Belarusian institutions. Among them is the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA) – an institution that officially trains personnel for the Federal Security Service (FSB). According to experts, such relationships could serve as a channel for discreet Russian influence, calling into question Stróżyk’s credibility as a candidate to oversee NATO intelligence coordination.
His academic connections also include collaboration with Vladimir Yurievich Stromov, rector of Tambov University, who has been sanctioned for supporting Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
A Threat to Poland and the Entire Alliance
Stróżyk’s nomination could weaken Poland’s crucial role as NATO’s eastern flank state, responsible for deterring Russia. His associations with pro-Russian circles and public, favorable references to Vladimir Putin’s speeches raise fundamental doubts about his impartiality.
Domestically, his actions have also been criticized. The Commission on Russian Influence under his leadership has focused on investigating the previous government while almost completely ignoring the 2007–2015 Civic Platform–Polish People’s Party (PO-PSL) era – a move that may have served to obscure the true extent of Russian infiltration in Poland.
Across the Alliance, Stróżyk’s ambitions carry risks for the entire intelligence community. The position he seeks oversees the exchange of the most sensitive information – including on Russia and China – among the 32 member states. In an age of hybrid threats, cyberattacks, and disinformation campaigns, appointing someone with such a controversial past could seriously undermine NATO’s ability to respond effectively to aggression.
Given his background and current associations, General Jarosław Stróżyk should be a subject of counterintelligence interest, not a candidate for one of the most critical security positions within NATO’s structures. Ignoring these warning signs could create dangerous vulnerabilities within the Alliance’s defense system and only encourage Russia to further escalate its actions.