Poland is changing its air defense procedures due to the ongoing Russian airstrikes on Ukraine. Poland’s Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced the full readiness of new, simplified procedures for detecting and shooting down foreign objects in Polish airspace, which will enter into force on October 1. UNN reports this, citing Gazeta Prawna.
New procedures from October 1
Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced on Wednesday that new military procedures to simplify the detection and shooting down of foreign objects in Polish airspace are ready. "October 1 is always a good time to introduce procedures," he added.
On Monday, Deputy Minister of National Defense Cezary Tomczyk spoke about planned changes to the rules for Polish pilots taking part in missions to protect Polish airspace during Russian airstrikes in Ukraine. He explained that this primarily concerns changing the rules for detecting foreign flying objects. Peacetime procedures, which require visual identification of an object before it is shot down, will be replaced by so-called positive identification.
What is positive identification?
After the procedure is changed, a pilot or their commander will be able to decide to shoot down a foreign object based on information collected by radars and other systems, or information provided by the Ukrainian side, which regularly faces attacks by Russian drones and missiles.
At a press conference on Wednesday, when Poland’s Minister of National Defense was asked when the new procedures would enter into force, he announced that he had received a report from Operational Commander General Ireneusz Nowak, who is responsible, among other things, for Polish Air Force missions along the eastern border, stating that the new procedures were fully ready and were currently being implemented. "October 1 is always a good time not only to begin the school year, but also to introduce new procedures," Kosiniak-Kamysz added.
Implementation at the military level without legislative changes
When asked whether the changes to the procedures required legislative amendments, Poland’s Minister of National Defense stressed that they did not; they are being implemented at the military level. He emphasized that these are clear, "strictly programmed" procedures established by the command, which will be followed by pilots and other soldiers involved in air defense.
Under the current rules, including Poland’s law on the protection of the state border, the Operational Commander of the Armed Forces is responsible for protecting Polish airspace. He oversees the protection of Polish skies through the Air Operations Center. As a rule, the Operational Commander may decide to shoot down a foreign object that has entered Polish airspace; he may also authorize fighter pilots to make such a decision.
Abandoning the requirement for visual identification
The announced procedural change concerns the method of identifying a foreign object and the cancellation of the requirement for visual identification — that is, a fighter pilot must approach the "intruder" closely enough to determine what type of object they are dealing with. This peacetime procedure is primarily aimed at minimizing the risk of shooting down, for example, a civilian aircraft whose malfunction prevents identification and proper communication with the military.
According to representatives of Poland’s Ministry of National Defense, the current situation, in which there is a regular risk of violations of the Polish border, requires procedures to be adapted to the new reality. "Until now, we have not used such capabilities because they are usually reserved for conditions of war or martial law. However, because of the threat — since Poland today faces the possibility of drones entering our territory every day — we must implement these changes for the benefit of both pilots and the security of the state," Tomczyk stressed on Monday.