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– Logistics is the lifeblood of our army;  logistics is the war-winning factor - many people don't realise it. When there is a disproportion of forces, logistics makes it possible to to gain an advantage over your opponent - said Minister Jacek Siewiera. – Logistics is underestimated as long as everything goes according to plan. However, whenever logistics collapses, all eyes are on it -  the Minister was echoed by Brigadier General Artur Kuptel PhD., head of the Armament Agency.

Ukraine's experience is a lesson learnt - it is clear that logistic security cannot be achieved by the army alone. Cooperation with the civilian forces and the facilities at its disposal is very important. – Poland has the largest fleet of delivery vehicles in Europe. We have a railway network, however not that accessible because the average equipment loading time is 6 hours. However, there are special ramps to load equipment in 30 minutes - Piotr Małecki, president of Defence24, talked about examples of logistics processes.

The general spoke about the logistics processes of our eastern neighbours. Waldemar Skrzypczak, former commander of the Land Forces. – The war beyond our eastern border gives us extensive experience we can use. Many mistakes were made that caused problems for Ukrainians;  forecasting played a key role here. They were able to predict how to deploy their military to counter Russia, but logistics failed when strategic facilities were attacked. This was the case in the Kherson and Zaporozhye areas - said the retired lieutenant general. – That is why it is worth identifying companies in Poland now that could support defence activities in the event of war, such as renovation companies – said General Skrzypczak.

– Technological development boosts the standardisation level which translates into interoperability, but this will always force changes and provide room for improvement. Operational plans take shape when we include logistics - said Brig. Gen. Artur Kępczyński, head of the Inspectorate for Armed Forces Support . – Civilian infrastructure best masks the supplies available to the army. Looking at Russia's attacks in Ukraine, it is clear that Russia has strategic plans dating back to the Warsaw Pact era. That is why it is so important to designate new strategic places to store equipment in the event of war - said the former commander of the Land Forces.

The president of the Government Agency of Strategic Reserves, Michał Kuczmierowski, talked about procedures in the event of war. – All crises force changes. Let us remember that in such situations there is no such thing as an ideal procedure. Procedures should be flexible;  sometimes the Agency changes procedure several times a month to make them effective. What is pivotal is planning reserves in response to current activities. Every product, ranging from food to ammunition, has an expiration date. Therefore, already at the level of equipment purchases, you should know how it will be used during its life cycle.

 Debate on  "Logistics of the Polish Armed Forces", organised by the National Security Bureau, took place as part of the 31st  International Defence Industry Exhibition is held in Targi Kielce from 5 to 8 September 2023.

(ŁK)