Lieutenant general Piotr Błazeusz became the new Eurocorps commander
28.03.2024
Deputy prime minister and minister of defence Władysław Kosiniak – Kamysz appointed gen. Piotr Błazeusz, the first deputy of the Polish General Staff Chief, to be the commander of the Eurocorps.
The Eurocorps is a multinational rapid response command stationed in Strasbourg. The forces assigned to the multinational command can be used in operatons under the auspices of the European Union and NATO, as well as the United Nations – including humanitarian and rescue missions or peace restoration and support operations. The Eurocorps became operational in 1993 r. In 2022 Poland changed from an associated nation to a framework nation – having a say in the structure and tasks of this multinational command.
Lieutenant general Piotr Błazeusz began his military service at the Military University of Technology in Warsaw, where he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant in 1994. He assumed his first post as commander of an assault platoon in the 10th Landing-Assault Battallion of the 6th Landing-Assault Brigade. He then served as a NATO specialist at the office of the Ministry of Defence secretary of state. His next posts were the deputy defence attaché in Washington D.C., senior specialist at the P-5 Strategic Planning Board in the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces and director of the secretariat of the Minister of Defence.
In 2007 he was appointed as the Command Centre Chief of the Armed Forces Operational Command, then as acting Training Chief at the 1st Armored Division in Legionowo. On August 15th 2009, as the commander of the 15th Armoured Brigade in Giżycko he was promoted to brygadier general. From October 2011 to April 2012 he was the commander of Polish Task Forces of the 10th tour of duty of the Polish Military Contingent in Afghanistan. From 2013 he served as the Chief of the NATO Operational Department – deputy of the Polish Military Representatives to the NATO and EU Military Committees. In 2017 he was appointed to be the Chief of the Planning and Programming of the Development of the Armed Forces – P5 at the General Staff. In 2019 he was first the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces General Command, and then deputy Chief of Staff for the Strategic Development and Preparation at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). At the same time he was promoted to division general. From the second half of 2021 he was appointed deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces. On August 15th 2022 he was appointed to the next rank - lieutenant general. On September 26th 2022 he became the first deputy of the Polish General Staff Chief.
General Błazeusz is an alumnus of the United States Air Force Academy, University of Warsaw, Pułtusk Academy of Humanities and the Postgraduate Course on Defence Policy at the National Defence Universitu of Warsaw.
He was decorated with the Silver Cross of Merit, Military Cross of Merit, NATO Meritorious Serice Medal, Star of Afghanistan, US Bronze Star and the Afghan Medal in Service of Ensuring the Security and Sovereignity of Afghanistan, among others. He executed over 500 parachute jumps and was a parachuting instractor of the US Armed Forces.