Page 39 - The Cormorant 2018

Regional Security Exercise 1 – Poland Commander Gareth Mawdsley
FORTY-FIVE ACSC STUDENTS ALONG with the Director and 4 members of staff, travelled to Poland for the first of our Regional
Security Exercises in mid-November.
The visit had a number of
inter-linked aims: to develop an in-depth, critical understanding of Polish security
and defence issues – from national, regional and institutional perspectives; to consider how those issues are dealt with by Poland and where this differs from the UK approach; and to gain a cultural awareness of Polish history and how this impacts on their political and military outlook.
We flew into Krakow in the South of Poland. Largely unscathed by the centuries of conflict that has been fought on the flat gateway lands between West and East, we enjoyed an evening exploring this beautiful city, with excellent architecture, music (jazz clubs with dodgy vodka) and local cuisine.
The following day saw us travel to the Nazi concentration camps at Auschwitz: both the site
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of a former Polish army camp, and the larger Auschwitz II (or Birkenau) camp, made infamous through Schindler’s List and The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas. The sheer industrial scale of making killing more efficient made the visit both harrowing and unforgettable. Our Polish hosts were keen
to remind us that whilst the focus is often on the Jewish Holocaust, almost half of those who died in Auschwitz were Polish prisoners – political, military and others – and the long coach journey North
to Warsaw, where we would be staying for the remainder of our time in Poland, was an opportunity to reflect on the barbarity of humans unchecked.
We were hosted over the next two days by the British Embassy, where the Defence Attaché coordinated
an excellent series of briefs by Embassy, Polish and US military and media sources. These combined
to provide a canter through Poland’s volatile history and how this has shaped contemporary culture; consideration of the mix of diplomatic, military
and economic levers of power and how the many challenges for Poland (including reliance on Russian gas; an aging population; immigration from the East; and balancing enthusiasm for EU structural funding with a Eurosceptic population that resists Brussels- led federalism) may impact in the future.
Whilst in the capital we went on a guided tour of the centre of Warsaw. With the city flattened during the war, it was amazingly restored during the Communist era using historical records. A visit to the outstanding Warsaw Uprising Museum, where the historical resonance of the dark days of the autumn of 1944, put the tour in context and served to underline the Polish strategic mindset
On our last morning in Poland, we travelled to
the HQ of the Tier 1 Special Forces unit, Group for Operational Manoeuvring Response (GROM), who gave us a great insight into their history and capabilities. This was a particularly interesting time to visit as Poland plans to double the size of their army, focussing on developing a militia force that will be trained by GROM and will hark back to the underground resistance of the Second World War.
Overall, RSE 1 to Poland was a great opportunity to immerse ourselves in an entirely different strategic culture and to gain Polish perspectives on defence and security issues... as well as to be able to enjoy the vibrant nightlife.
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...a canter
through Poland’s volatile
history and how this has shaped contemporary culture... ◆◆◆