Afghanistan: the Chief of Staff of the Polish Army opens it… and releases

(BRUSSELS2) In Poland, after the death of Captain Daniel Ambrozinski in Afghanistan (1) and the rant, followed by a dismissal, of the Chief of Staff of the Army, the controversy rages . And "Skrzypczak" who entered the army at the age of 20 in 1976 and took part in the Iraq campaign has today become a symbol, a trademark of the strong mouth...

General Waldemar Skrzypczak, visibly moved by the death of captain (2), took advantage of the ceremony in his honor on August 16, then of several interviews given in the press, to settle accounts with the Minister of Defense, Bogdan Klich, and his administration. Remarks of a certain brutality, rarely heard in public, between a high-ranking soldier and his political superior (with the probable exception of British General Richard Dannat).

A questioning of political power.

The first act arises on August 16, theduring the ceremony in honor of the deceased captain. The general wonders ppublicly to find out if the time has not come for the army to cease functioning in an atmosphere of accusation of its incompetence. " Everything indicates that (the army in) Afghanistan needs more equipment. As a commander, I have the right to say that we know what it takes to fight. None of the military officials, the bureaucracy, should tell us what to do. We know what it takes to fight. And we want to be heard » A questioning, in a way, of political authority and which was immediately perceived as such by the Minister of Defence. The general is in the hot seat...

"Too bureaucratic equipment procedures".

The next day, even if he avails himself of his " right to emotion (...) on the coffin of my soldier", Skrzypczak confirms his words and drives the point home, particularly in the daily Dziennik and the continuous news television TVN24. He takes it, again, to the "vast bureaucracy"who reigns in Warsaw and the procedures"too bureaucratic" to equip soldiers and armies (see below), ebelieving that this may have caused the death of the captain Ambrozinsky. Feeling " Oenology of his men, the general blames, in particular, Defense Minister Bogdan Klich — who has "a distorted picture of reality. He thinks everything is OK. And it's not" — and more generally its administration — the ministry that has the power to select military equipment is " unprepared and fails to take responsibility ».  « Je think that someone will answer in court for the fact that we do not have the means to fight for the safety of the Polish soldiers ».

Skrzypczak also points out that " The army is tired of hysterical fear and mistrust. (...) « We live in constant fear. Every decision must be controlled: if it was good? why was she taken? ec.. It's a lack of confidence for usHis if you don't trust the military, someone has to go: the military forces or those who don't trust (listen/read theinterview - in Polish).

Resignation at the end of the road.

The cup is therefore full. And the departure of the boiling general programmed. Mdespite some attempts at reconciliation, too many words had leaked publicly for an example not to be made. General Skrzypczak, who has burned his last cartridges (he is at the end of his career), draws conclusions from his remarks and recovers " available of the president, Lech Kaczinski, following the loss of confidence in my person by the Minister of Defense (2). Decision recorded on August 20.

A dramatic under-equipment.

The general denounces specific facts. Some equipment, although ultra-necessary, takes years to arrive on the ground. The soldiers lack portable radios, systems jammers (to avoid IAD), night vision devices. (...) A simple simple request like gunners for helicopters takes forever to arrive ». According to him, too, "themoney spent on armaments and the army is badly spent ».  There is a fact also stated by the military: the army does not arrivenot keep up with the pace of equipment renewal imposed by the Americans. Supporting examples, several soldiers returned from Afghanistan say they have to buy their own equipment (listen to or read the TVN24 report). The families also confirm. Lto the captain's widow Ambrozinsky testifies: My husband had to buy himself out of his own pocket"shoes, glasses, bulletproof vests... and even a data converter for cards". In some bases, "the food is unsatisfactory". Another problem, which Natalia Ambrozinsky denounces: transport. Polish "depend on the Americans. But they have priority. So the Poles wait. Sometimes you have to wait several days on one base to go to the other. It's humiliating" (listen or read the other TVN24 report).

Bitter feeling of not having been listened to.

Resigned immediately, the general continues to open it. He has it a little bad, as he confided to the daily Rzespospolita, even recently (read the article, in Polish). Am I winning or losing? " I do not know very well. I feel bad. I just hope that when the dust settles, the military comes out on top. Only then will I feel victorious. Because what I did, I did for the good of my soldiers. ". A feeling of bitterness as well, because the soldier repeatedly sounded the alarm and was not heard. He persists and still signs today. " I sent several documents. And these are available to anyone who cares. ». Defending himself from wanting to elude political control, he specifies “ J'made specific allegations.  Yet they did nothing." The minister retorts, pointing to the soldier's irrational demands. Skrzypczak is customary for blows. In 2007, he threatened to resign if "his" soldiers, accused of war crimes for carrying out an attack against defenseless civilians in Afghanistan, were convicted.

Difficult context.

The Polish army is currently going through an intense period of reform, with the establishment of professionalization, the abandonment of conscription, in a difficult economic context (several equipment decisions have been removed) and while it is demanded more and more effort for Afghanistan (after that required in Iraq). After years of commitment, discontent rises. Polish soldiers, placed in a risk zone, are not really well equipped, and less paid, than their American or European neighbors. The decision announced at the beginning of August by the Minister of Defense to send 200 men as reinforcements for the NATO operation was a bit of a straw that broke the camel's back.
It was also quickly denied by the Prime Minister, judging that an assessment was first necessary if more men or more more efficient equipment were needed.

An overhaul of the law on equipment.

The Polish government is also currently studying the simplification of the army equipment law. Is cause, in particular, research compensation by Poland (in terms of economic benefits or employment) from industrialists from whom it buys equipment. According to Polish law, any purchase over 5 million Zlotys must be cleared. These useful "offsets" in economic terms often take a long time to negotiate and delay the arrival of the necessary equipment..

NB: a replacement could be named. This is General Tadeusz Buk, also a veteran of Iraq (from the 9th Polish contingent) who notably restored order in the province where the Polish troops were stationed.

(1) Among the 10 Polish dead since the beginning of the engagement in Afghanistan (including one in a road accident), it is the first officer of that rank to die.
(2) The captain did not jump on a mine but was the victim of a snipper, a sniper.
(3) Formula established in Poland where the resignation of a general is delicate from a legal point of view.

(photo credit: TVN24)