Tasks and responsibilities of the Ministry of National Defence include: 

– the management in peacetime all of the activities of the Armed Forces;

– the preparation of the assumptions of national defence, including proposals pertaining to the development and structure of the Armed Forces;

– the realization of the general assumptions, decisions and directives of the Council of Ministers in the area of national defence;

– the execution, within the scope of powers given by the Council of Ministers, of general supervision over the realization of defence-related tasks by the agencies and bodies of the State Administration, State institutions, local authorities, economic entities etc.;

– overall leadership in matters connected with the execution of the common national defence duty;

– the fulfilling of international agreements, stemming from the decisions of the Council of Ministers, pertaining to the participation of Polish military contingents in international peacekeeping missions and humanitarian actions and military exercises conducted jointly with other countries or international organizations.

An Act of Law specifies that the Minister of National Defence is the main agent of the State Administration in the area of national defence. He manages the Ministry, including all of the activities of the Polish Armed Forces. He prepares the assumptions of national defence and realizes overall leadership in matters connected with the execution of the common national defence duty.

The Constitution gives the Minister of National Defence the right to realize the President's entitles to the supremacy over the Armed Forces during peace time. The Minister of National Defence manages the activities of the Ministry of Defence and of the Armed Forces directly and with the assistance of the Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, the Secretary or Secretaries of State, and the Undersecretaries of State. The Minister of National Defence has all disciplinary powers in relation to all persons in active military service; he cannot transfer these powers to any other person. In relation to persons on active military service, the Minister's decisions have the power of a military order.