Poland’s military faced the surprise dismissal of a senior commander in charge of Eurocorps—an EU-backed rapid reaction force—over an alleged intelligence leak. Lieutenant General Jarosław Gromadziński was recalled to Warsaw after the military counterintelligence service opened an investigation regarding his “personal security clearance.”
Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz commented that the sacking came “in connection with the acquisition of new information about the officer”.
The dismissal coincided with Poland’s embattled Prime Minister Donald Tusk telling an interviewer this week that “war is no longer a concept of the past” as he warned that there is a risk of the Russo-Ukrainian war escalating in the months ahead.
Tusk also made it clear that the Islamist attack in Moscow last week and hypersonic missiles reportedly having breached Kyiv’s defence system were turning points in a war in which, according to most military pundits, Russia has a growing advantage.
In his first major foreign interview since becoming PM, Tusk called for “parallel structures” to be created within NATO among European nations in time for November’s U.S. elections. Regardless of who is in the White House, Europe needs to become more self-sufficient militarily, he said. Poland is regarded as a major pro-American geopolitical bulwark against Russia.
Gromadziński’s removal from his role managing the EU’s rapid response force has not been linked publically to the political power struggle currently engulfing Polish politics, most recently dragging in Poland’s Central Bank. Multiple scandals during October’s election campaign involving the Polish military may add to current speculation, at a time when Tusk and his newly installed liberal coalition government aims to increase its control of the military and intelligence apparatus.
Poland plans to increase its military spending from 3% of GDP in 2023 to 4% this year, increasing its importance within NATO.
