Baltic Defence College

Joint Command and General Staf Course, 2014-2015

Department of olitical and Strategic Studies
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factors s'aping (our countr()s *grand+ strateg( ,
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I hereby certify that the document presented here is written by me,
except where otherwise indicated using appropriate references. This
text represents the exact version of the document I intend to submit.
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21 Septem2er 2014
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The paper presents the main national and international factors shaping strategy of
the state which is the Republic of Poland. It consists of two main parts. The first one
characterizes domestic factors relating to the Polish security strategy, while the
second shows the international factors. The main goal of this work is to characterize
the factors of strategic environment of security in both aspects: national domestic!
and international e"ternal! that shape the country. These factors are very many #
they arise from many areas of the e"istence of the state. I will focus mainly on issues
related to the security of the country in the area of military.
$t the beginning one should, however, ask himself: %hat is the strategy of the state&.
$nswers to this 'uestion can be many. In my opinion strategy of the state is the
direction and scope of action, which the state intends to adopt for the long term, to
achieve its goals and gain political advantage.
(onsidering the Polish strategy in the international field, it should be e"plicitly stated
that a state is shaped by the four main factors, namely: )orth $tlantic Treaty
*rganization )$T*!, the +uropean ,nion +,!, the strategic presence of the ,nited
-tates and relations with Russia. )$T* currently is and will remain the most
powerful and effective military and political alliance. .or Poland )$T* is a key
platform for bilateral and multilateral cooperation on security and defense of the state
and the main pillar of the political and military stability in +urope. *n the other hand
consolidation is needed in the area of defensive function, which will contribute to the
strengthening of a sense of security of Polish and other )$T* countries, and
ultimately increase their willingness to engage in operations outside their own
territory. $nother factor influencing the Polish strategy is the +,. It is a cornerstone of
+uropean security. .or Poland it is a high value and potential. +, internal integration,
intensification of cooperation with )$T* members and coherent policy towards
Russia are the key issues affecting the Polish security policy. The strategic presence
of the ,nited -tates on the +uropean continent is important, in both in political#
military and economic area to ensure +uropean security. The presence of the ,nited
-tates in Poland and also in other +uropean countries is to be seen as a guarantee
of security on the continent and support for security within )$T*. $lso preferred for
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Poland from a strategic point of view is to deepen cooperation at the interface of
economic and military and gaining $merican technological capital as part of the
modernization. /enerally maintenance of the $merican factor, shaping Polish
strategy to diversify security, as a complement to the guarantee of membership in the
)orth $tlantic $lliance, appears to be crucial. $ very important strategic factor, which
influences the state of Polish security are the relations between Russia and the %est.
Today, it is difficult to determine their clear perspective. %ill Russia strive for rebuild
their power, ignoring the others especially neighbors!&. *r maybe there will be
change for cooperation in building a common security& Today, a more likely scenario
seems to be a continuation, which is not favorable for Polish.
(onsidering the factors shaping the strategy of the Polish national domestic territory
should be noted that the priority is the development of civilization and pro0ection of
stability of the state. $ very important area of security strategy is to provide the
conditions to increase the speed and efficiency of development of the country mainly
in the field of defense. $nother factor is the national e"port control system. $ tool,
which prevents the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of
delivery. $nother very important factor is the ac'uisition and assessment of
information about the development of international political and economic relations in
the field relevant to the safety and interests of the Poland. $n important role in
ensuring the security of the state in this respect play special services. $n important
factor in shaping the strategy of the country is the civil#military cooperation. This is
a conse'uence of the growing importance of non#military factors in the sphere of
defense. This factor formulates the re'uirements for both the armed forces and
non#military cells. It emphasizes the need to prepare the armed forces for
cooperation with both national non#military cells to perform tasks on their own
territory, as well as with the various e"ternal civilian entities state, private,
international, non#governmental organizations, and the local population!
while performing tasks outside Polish borders.
In conclusion of my paper I would like to emphasize that review of selected factors
shaping the Polish strategy leads to the conclusion that at present there are no
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compelling reasons to believe that the level of military threats e"isting or pro0ected in
the coming years could lead to the loss of state#recognized national values,
0eopardize the implementation of the fundamental interests or significantly reduce the
achievement of strategic ob0ectives. *ngoing and planned internal actions and
actions performed with allies and other international organizations in the dimension of
security and defense policy, and currently owned and developed defense capabilities
mean that Poland is and feels safe in the forecast conditions of the balance of power
in +urope and worldwide .
)evertheless ensuring the Polish national security is a difficult task. In the face of
new threats, there is a need to meet them. $lso economic safety should be seen as
one of the key areas of national security of Poland. Important matter in shaping
Polish economic security is to recognize appropriately the determinants and the
concentration of resources and tools to appropriately selected determinants,
including especially on the determinants possible to shape, with high rank and
growing importance. In these processes the typology of the determinants of
economic security should be taken into account.
To sum up the main national and international factors shaping strategy of the state
which is the Republic of Poland will be still developed.
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Bi2liograp'(
The National Security Bureau. 2013. White Book on National Security of the
Republic of Poland, 2013
The ini!try "f National #efen!e.200$. 1efense -trategy *f The Republic
*f Poland, 2334.
#unn #a%id &' (aboro)!ki arcin. 200*. Poland : $ )ew Power in Transatlantic
-ecurity, 2335.
The National Security Bureau. 2012. -trategiczny Przegl6d 7ezpiecze8stwa
)arodowego, 2392.

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