“We will invest 10 billion złoty (€ 2,3 billion) in strengthening the protection of the eastern border. The new Eastern Shield program is a project to build extensive fortifications that will guarantee that our border is impassable for the enemy,” emphasized Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
The principles of the defense and deterrence plan “Eastern Shield” were announced on Saturday by the Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk.
“The Eastern Shield” is a set of actions to be undertaken, the most important of which is the construction of fortifications along the entire eastern border, as well as in the north, on the border with Russia. These will include, among others, natural terrain obstacles, fortifications, and bunkers.
“Our security: the Western community, the European shield protecting our skies, the Eastern Shield, or the fortification of borders, the Polish satellite program funded by EU, the Polish soldier, well-equipped and trained, and a state ruthless towards espionage and subversion,” Tusk emphasized in a post on X.
While the announcement was applauded by coalition politicians, former Defense Ministry chief Mariusz Błaszczak (Law and Justice), was less enthusiastic.
“Tusk’s ‘Eastern Shield’, announced with pomp, is a plan that we developed and began implementing while still in the Defense Ministry. This package of measures is needed to strengthen the security on the border, which is provided primarily by the barrier built during the Law and Justice government and the soldiers and officers deployed to that region also during our time in power,” the former head of the Defense Ministry wrote on X.
‘Something completely new’
Deputy Minister of National Defense Cezary Tomczyk disagrees with Błaszak’s assessment, however.
“This is something completely new because, for the past eight years, there have been virtually no efforts in this area. And we need to secure the eastern border, not just because of migration, as there is already a barrier for that which will be modernized, but we also need protection for the population and to secure the border itself from a military perspective,” explained Tomczyk.
Tomczyk said that the “Eastern Shield” program will be a multi-year investment.
“The planning began several weeks ago. Work is ongoing in the General Staff and in the infrastructure department of the Ministry of National Defense,” he explained.
As Tomczyk stated, the “Eastern Shield” will include natural terrain obstacles, fortifications, and bunkers.
“This is a comprehensive set of actions, the most important of which is the construction of a fortified belt along the entire eastern border and in the north, on the border with Russia,” he said.
The deputy minister noted ongoing discussions with Baltic counterparts on their defense initiatives, drawing insights from Finland and South Korea, as well as significant contributions from Polish experts, like General Marek Wawrzyniak.
A new type of soldier
Retired General Waldemar Skrzypczak, the former commander of the Land Forces assessed that the Prime Minister’s words refer, on the one hand, to the need to strengthen the barrier preventing the influx of migrants and, on the other, to fortifications impassable for military forces.
Regarding military fortifications, Skrzypczak pointed out a wide range of various systems like forest ground fortifications and armored equipment.
“It must be remembered that it is not enough to build fortifications, it is not enough to build forest complexes or other devices called engineering barriers. All these must be defended by troops,” he listed.
“It is the identification and training of military formations that will be prepared to conduct the defense of these fortified defensive lines,” Skrzypczak explained.
“This is a very distinct specificity from the actions for which we have so far prepared the military,” he summarized.
