One of the first tasks for soldiers was to support Border Guards in borders protection. Soldiers also assisted the Police in patrolling streets and in verifying quarantines. Together they ensured that the quarantine regime was observed. Soldiers provide necessary personal protection equipment and food to severely struck by the pandemic social welfare homes. Soldiers also carry out specialized decontamination procedures all over the country in places where there is such a need. Military members help seniors, veterans and health care personnel families in getting through the pandemic, support hospitals and local authorities, transport protection products and food. They are everywhere where there is a need for specialized or larger scale support.

Polish Armed Forces provide help at the request of voivodships’ governors and local governments. There are military task forces in each voivodship. They have at their disposal, among others dozens of sanitary and transport vehicles. They dispatch disinfection task teams and mobile medical teams. Engineering soldiers, chemists and logisticians of operational forces are very active. Support is also provided by soldiers of Military Police. In addition, military aviation is always ready to support the health system in the area of ​​special air transport.

Military medical staff plays significant role in support of civil healthcare. Assistance was provided, among others in the preparation of single-name hospitals transformed into infectious diseases medical hospitals. Military medical rescuers support Border Guards at the border crossings in the implementation of their new tasks aimed at prevention of the virus spread.

During this world’s completely new, global phenomenon and challege Polish Armed Forces stand bold in support of Poland’s citizens

Evacuation of Poles from regions threatened by coronavirus

After the outbreak of the epidemic, the Polish Air Force carried out a total of 4 evacuation flights (on 22 February, 25 March, 31 March and 2 April) of Polish citizens that declared their wish to return to country from threatened areas (France, Great Britain, Lebanon, Kuwait).

5 aircraft (CASA, Hercules, Boeing) were used for evacuation of Poles.

 

Border protection – in support of Border Guard

Polish Armed Forces in the task of protecting the Polish borders  conduct daily on average about 170 border patrols and activate over 160 border posts. Over 2,000 soldiers of operational forces and Military Police is engaged with over 220 equipment units in performing these tasks. On average, a soldier spends 10-12 hours on a patrol. The length of protected sections of the state border exceeded 3511 km.

Tasks performed: Border Guard support in maintaining of border security and in border counties, border traffic control at crossings of the Republic of Poland. Engineering troops carried out the engineering expansion of border checkpoints and access roads to closed border crossings. These works were carried out in areas of crossings in Rosówek, Osinów Dolny, Lubieszyn, Gryfino, Bug, Bobolin, Warnik, Targów and in the border zone.

In order to strengthen the activity of the Border Guard, Polish Armed Forces sent the M-28 aircraft, two Mi-8 helicopters and two Mi-17 helicopters to support the border control.

 

Joint patrols with the Police

On average the Polish Armed Forces (operational troops and Military Police) issued more than 620 patrols (lasting for avg. 10-12 hours) daily to support the Police.

Over 1,000 soldiers with over 200 units of equipment were assigned to this task.

Soldiers checked compliance with quarantine regime and government restrictions.

 

Actions in response to social welfare homes COVID-19 outbrakes

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the Polish Armed Forces has been providing extensive assistance to residents of social welfare homes throughout the country. As part of operation Resistant Spring, Territorial Defence Forces support welfare facilities by providing food and anti-epidemic protection measures, taking samples for coronavirus testing, providing logistical support and care.

Since the beginning of the operation, they have provided support in 536 social welfare homes. During this time, they took nearly 58,000 samples for testing, of which 28,000 samples have been collected in social welfare homes.

In April, in response to subsequent outbreaks of coronavirus in social care facilities, Crisis Intervention Teams were created on the basis of territorial defense brigades and operational units. The main goal were to support evacuation and restore the ability of social welfare homes to operate. Their tasks include: sample taking, evacuation of residents and staff, decontamination, training to limit coronavirus transmission, restoration of facilities capabilities. Teams are directed to act at the request of the Chief Sanitary Inspector or voivode. During this ongoing operation, so far, Crisis Intervention Teams have been used 49 times.

 

Transport of personal protective equipment (PPE)

Military logisticians carried out hundreds of convoys and transports with sanitary materials across the country. Thousands of tons of masks, disinfectant liquids and medical materials went to hospitals, social welfare homes and local government units. Materials were delivered from the Material Reserves Agency and from military units.

Troops transported over 80,000 swab samples to 157 hospitals. Polish Armed Forces airlifed 2 medical cargo transports (on 16 April) with military aircraft (Hercules and CASA) from Turkey. As a result, about 20 tons of protective materials were brought to Poland.

 

Air transport within NATO / SALIS

As part of SALIS air transport program Polish Armed Forces organized 4 airlifts, in which 230 tons of personal protective equipment were brought to Poland.

 

Caring for veterans and medical families

Territorial Defence Forces soldiers take care of hundreds of veterans and families of medical personnel. They provide them with food and daily necessities.

 

TEST&GO mobile swab collection teams

The Polish Armed Forces has already launched 14 TEST&GO points, where samples for coronavirus testing are taken.

10 mobile disinfection units and 30 mobile sample taking groups were established on the basis of logistics forces.

 

Chemical forces decontamination activities

Chemical troops have carried out over 205 decontamination actions with an average involvement of over 1.7 thousand soldiers. In total, they decontaminated over 423,000 square meters area and over 1.6 thousand people, over 2 thousand vehicles and dozens of planes.

As part of the tasks performed, they carried out the disinfection of rooms, communication routes, social welfare homes, hospitals, schools, access roads, administration buildings, as well as personnel and equipment - ambulances, vehicles, aircraft - participating directly in COVID-19 response.

 

Medical training for all soldiers

Over 40,000 soldiers have already been trained to be ready to support public health services and even - if necessary - to replace civilian medical personnel in performing their tasks.

 

Military laboratories joined the coronavirus testing action

7 military laboratories, including two mobile,  have completed over 15,000 tests.

They reached the daily capacity of over 1.1 thousand tests.

 

Military medical service involvement in COVID-19 response

Currently, there is 14 military hospitals, 5 preventive medicine centers and the Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology in operational readiness. The armed forces also have significant potential of medical personnel: doctors, nurses and paramedics.

Every day over 2.5 thousand military medics support the public health system.

Polish Armed Forces operate two Military Field Hospitals. On the basis of the 2nd Military Field Hospital in Wrocław, a container hospital was built within three days as an observation facility with the possibility of hospitalization. There is also a mobile container laboratory, which is part of the equipment of one of the subunits of the Epidemiological Response Center of the Polish Armed Forces. Containers have equipment designed and capable of being transported to any place where such needs and transport possibilities allow it. The Epidemiological Response Center of the Armed Forces is the only unit in the country equipped with such equipment.

Also quarantine centers were built in 104 military garrisons with capacity of over 17,000 places for quarantined persons, 8 Disinfection Task Teams are maintained to support disinfection activities and 31 Disinfection Groups, one thousand soldiers strong, were activated.

 

Medical Rescue Aviation service support

The Polish Armed Forces operates 6 Air Search and Rescue Teams, which can support the air rescue at any time. Medical equipment or patients with coronavirus may be transported on board military helicopters.

Air crews are stationed on duty in Świdwin, Kraków, Mińsk Mazowiecki, Leźnica Wielka, Darłowo and Gdynia.

 

Territorial Defence Forces help to hospitals

Territorial defence soldiers and cadets-students of military universities help in over 100 civil hospitals and medical facilities.

• Their tasks include taking temperature measurements and pre-qualifying patients, taking samples for testing. Soldiers were present in cities throughout the country, among others Wrocław, Kraków, Wałcz, Szczecin, Łódź, Bełchatów, etc.

 

Blood donation campaign

Organised in Polish Armed Forces blood donation campaign will soon reach 5,000 liters of blood donated since the beginning of the pandemic.

 

Military medical abroad missions

Polish Armed Forces sent 3 military medical missions abroad - to Italy, Slovenia and the United States. Military doctors shared information on models of effective fight against the pandemic and helped local doctors. The missions have brought invaluable knowledge on methods to combat COVID-19 disease.

 

Territorial Defence Forces helpline

Territorial Defense Forces, at the request of the Minister of National Defense launched a special 24/7 helpline available free of charge with psychological support for people in crisis related to quarantine or SARS-CoV-2 treatment. Specialist assistance is provided by phone by military psychologists. They help also parents solve problems concerning their children's e- learning. This was response to numerous signals that have reached the Ministry of National Defense.

The Polish Armed Forces are always ready to support wherever it is needed. Undertaken activities bring measurable results and will be continued in accordance with the needs of medical care and local government institutions to effectively fight the epidemic.