Gen. Surawski appointed new chief of general staff of Polish military
President Andrzej Duda has appointed General Leszek Surawski Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces.
President Duda presented the nomination to General Surawski during a ceremony held at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday.
General Surawski, 57, replaces General Mieczyslaw Gocul who served at the post since 2013. He started his second, three-year term in May 2016, but last Friday General Gocul in a letter published on the Internet announced the end of his service as the chief of the general staff and the end of his military career.
PM Beata Szydlo, asked whether she is not worried by the fact that over 20 generals left the army under the Law and Justice government and whether she talked about this with Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz, said that the MoD is "reforming the Polish army."
"Of course all this is in tune with a plan which has been prepared by him, which he presented and agreed with the government and the president," Szydlo told a Tuesday press conference.
"What is taking place now are natural changes which have been foreseen by Minister Macierewicz."
According to recent media reports over 20 generals and over 250 colonels have resigned from their posts or have decided to leave the military service since the Law and Justice took over power in November 2015. (PAP)
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