“We’ve been consistently building up our cybersecurity capabilities,” Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak told a news conference in Warsaw, as quoted by the state PAP news agency.
“In 2019, we established the National CyberSpace Security Centre, and today the government is creating the command of the CyberSpace Defence Force,” Błaszczak said.
“We are perfectly aware that in the 21st century, cyberattacks have become one of the tools of the aggressive policies pursued by our neighbour, among others," he added, in a clear reference to Russia.
“And so these capabilities are of fundamental, key importance to the Polish military,” Błaszczak told reporters.
Outlining the objectives of the new force, he said: “The CyberSpace Defence Force is a regular army, it has defensive abilities, as well as a reconnaissance capability and an offensive capacity, in case these were needed.”
He told the media that the new force would help “build Poland’s resistance to cyberattacks,” public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
During a special ceremony, Brig. Gen. Karol Molenda was appointed to serve as the commander of the newly established CyberSpace Defence Force.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP
Click on the audio player above for a report by Radio Poland's Michał Owczarek.