President extends two Polish military contingents’ presence overseas
President Karol Nawrocki has signed a decision extending the deployment of Polish military contingents in Turkey and the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions.
The resolutions to this effect have been published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Poland (Monitor Polski) dated December 22.
The Polish Military Contingent in Turkey (PKW Turkey) will maintain up to 95 soldiers and personnel until June 30, 2026, as part of NATO's Adapted Strengthening Measures for Turkey.
PKW Turkey is involved in intelligence gathering and exchange in the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea areas, addressing the challenges facing the region. The contingent's primary tasks include conducting patrol and reconnaissance flights and sharing data with NATO Maritime Command (MARCOM).
The deployment of the Polish Military Contingent of 80 soldiers and personnel as part of the EU's military operation in the Mediterranean (EUNAVFOR MED IRINI) has been extended until 31 December 2026.
PKW IRINI contributes to a peacekeeping mission there, and its roles include aerial reconnaissance, advising, and training selected allied forces. EUNAVFOR MED Operation IRINI has been ongoing since March 2020. Its aim is to enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya, using air and satellite surveillance, and naval assets.
Poland currently has troops deployed in about a dozen foreign missions worldwide, including NATO deployments on the alliance's eastern flank in Romania and Latvia.
Polish soldiers are also involved in stabilisation missions in the Middle East, including in Iraq and Lebanon, as well as international operations in the Balkans—Kosovo and Bosnia-and-Herzegovina—and in maritime patrols in the Mediterranean Sea. (PAP)
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