Territorial Defence Force (Poland) should not be confused with Territorial Defense Forces (Poland).
| Unit Name: | Polish Territorial Defence Forces |
| Dates: | 2017–present |
| Country: |  Poland |
| Allegiance: | Polish Armed Forces |
| Type: | light infantry |
| Size: | 40,000+ (2023)[1] |
| Motto: | Always ready, always close |
| Colours: | --> |
| Colours Label: | --> |
| Commander1: | gen. bryg Krzysztof Stańczyk[2] |
| Commander1 Label: | Commander of Territorial Defence Forces |
| Identification Symbol Label: | Flag[3] |
| Native Name: | Wojska Obrony Terytorialnej |
| Start Date: | 1 January 2017 |
The Territorial Defence Force – TDF (Polish: Wojska Obrony Terytorialnej – WOT) is the fifth military branch of the Polish Armed Forces, following Land Forces, Air Force, Navy and Special Forces.[4] The force is made up of professional and part-time volunteer soldiers, forming part of the country's defence and deterrence system. Formed in 2016, it had reached 24,000 personnel by July 2019,[5] [6] and was slated to reach a size of around 53,000 personnel in 17 light infantry brigades by 2021.[7] The creation of the Polish TDF relates to the reforms in the Baltic states' Territorial Defence Forces to provide response during the early stages of a hybrid conflict.[8]
The Territorial Defence Force is a planned reserve component of Poland's military.[9] A similar, identically named organization had existed in the country since 1965, but was disbanded in 2008 as part of a modernization program. The re-creation of the Territorial Defence Force was first announced in 2015 in reaction to the war in Donbass and concern that Poland's existing military would be ill-equipped to confront an adversary under similar conditions of low-intensity conflict. According to government officials, public reception to the idea was positive with 11,000 persons registering interest in joining the force within the first few months after the initial announcement.[10] The program was subsequently formalized with the signing of "a new document concerning the functioning of the territorial defense concept" by Minister of Defence of Poland Antoni Macierewicz in a ceremony held at Warsaw's Waldemar Milewicz General Secondary School on 27 April 2016.[11]
On 21 May 2017 the first military oath in the history of WOT took place in Bialystok, Lublin and Rzeszow.
On the basis of Decision No. 140 / MON of the Minister of National Defense of 28 June 2017, TDF was declared the successor to the traditions of the Home Army National Command (1942–1945) of the Second World War, while being the de facto successor to the heritage of its forebears.
Plans announced in January 2016 called for what officials said would eventually become a 46,000-man contingent, though initially the WOT would consist of just three brigades sited in the north east of the country and funded with an annual appropriation of approximately €60 million; it was later reported the force would have a maximum size of 35,000 personnel.[12] [13] As envisaged, the Territorial Defence Force is to be a part-time, all-volunteer organization, with soldiers receiving 30 days of military training per year. Unlike existing reserve forces, which upon mobilization are integrated into regular components of the Polish military, the Territorial Defence Force will be designed to operate autonomously in home areas and with personnel drawn from the local population. According to Polish military planners, this set-up would be most effective in countering hybrid warfare.[12] As part of the Ministry of Defense acquisition plans for 2017–2022, the total number of volunteers was set to 50,000 and a budget of 3.2 billion zloty outlaid to arm and equip them.[14]
Besides responding to external military threats, the WOT will, according to the Defense Ministry, help strengthen Poland's "patriotic and Christian foundations".[15]
Poland is divided into 16 Voivodeships. The Territorial Defence Troops follow the administrative division with a brigade formed in each voievodship. The exception is the Masovian, which has two territorial defence brigades due to the significance of the capital Warsaw. For mobilisation duties and liaison to the local authorities there is a Voievodship Military Staff in each of the 16 voievodships and the territorial brigades' HQs are located nearby. The commander of the Territorial Defence Troops is a division general and the brigades are commanded by colonels.
Each brigade also has a command, a support, a sapper and a logistic company, carrying the brigade's number.
The Territorial Defense Forces are dedicated to:[16] [17]