Poland is creating another brigade
3 October, 2023 Poland is creating the 18th Motorized Brigade. October 3, 2023. Photo credits: Ministry of Defense of Poland
Poland is creating another brigade as part of the 18th Mechanized Division of the Polish Armed Forces. On Tuesday, October 3, Polish Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak signed a resolution to create the 18th Motorized Brigade in the city of Siedlce. The newly formed brigade will be deployed in five cities of Lublin and Subcarpathian voivodeships.
The unit's command will be located in Poniatowa. This will be the fourth brigade in the 18th Mechanized Division of the Polish Army, and it will cover the southeastern part of the Iron Division's area of responsibility.
Poland is creating the 18th Motorized Brigade. October 3, 2023.
Photo credits: Ministry of Defense of Poland
The Polish 18th "Iron" Mechanized Division was formed in 2018. It currently includes:
- 1st Warsaw Armored Brigade,
- 19th Lublin Mechanized Brigade,
- 21st Mountain Brigade,
- 18th Logistics Regiment,
- 18th Anti-Aircraft Regiment,
- 18th Artillery Regiment,
- 18th Sapper Regiment,
- 18th Reconnaissance Battalion,
- 18th Command Battalion.
The unit's command is based in the city of Siedlce in eastern Poland.
12 K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers arrived in Poland, February 2023. Photo credits: Mariusz Blaszczak
The Mechanized Division is equipped with modern equipment, including American Abrams main battle tanks and South Korean K9 self-propelled howitzers, and will be armed with K239 Chunmoo MLRS. The brigade has significantly increased the potential and capacity of defense of the eastern border of the Republic of Poland while improving the defense capability of NATO's eastern flank.
The Polish army is currently rapidly increasing in size and may become one of the largest in Europe. Poland is currently trying to implement a plan to create the most powerful land forces on the continent.
Territorial Defense Forces of Poland. Photo credits: Ministry of Defense of Poland
In March of this year, the Polish army, together with the Territorial Defense Forces, numbered 160,000 soldiers.
Previously, Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak mentioned that his goal was to increase the size of the Polish army to 300,000 soldiers.