Polish Armed Forces Guide 95

Polish Armed Forces Guide 95 - Andrzej Bogun (red.)

Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland (Siły Zbrojne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, abbreviated SZ RP; popularly, Wojsko Polskie, abbreviated WP—roughly, the "Polish Military") are the national armed forces of Poland. The name has been used since the early nineteenth century, but can also be applied to earlier periods. The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland are the Wojska Lądowe (Land Forces), Marynarka Wojenna (Navy), Siły Powietrzne (Air Force) and Wojska Specjalne (Special Forces) and are under the command of the Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej (Ministry of National Defense). From 2002 until 2014, Polish military forces were part of the Coalition Forces that participated in the ISAF mission in Afganistan led by NATO. Poland's contribution to ISAF was the country's largest, since its entrance into NATO. Polish forces also took part in the Iraq War. From 2003 to 2008, Polish military forces commanded the Multinational Division (MND-CS) located in the South-Central Zone of Iraq. This zone was populated by about 5 million Iraqis, and covered an area of over 65,632 km². The division was made up of troops from 23 nations and totaled as many as 8,500 soldiers.