Magdalena Kowalska-Sendek sits down with MajGen Michał Strzelecki, commander of the Special Forces Component, to talk about utilizing the potential of special operations forces in counter-hybrid operations.

For several years now, Poland has been a target of cyber attacks, airspace violations, and many other Russian provocations, which experts describe as actions below the threshold of war. Do you think that such operations by the Russian Federation could be a prelude to a full-scale conflict?

They could, but not necessarily. It is the reaction of the country targeted by such hostile activities that determines whether the conflict will escalate into a war scenario, or whether the resilience of its society and the effectiveness of its security services and armed forces will defuse it. As military personnel, in accordance with the saying »hope for the best, prepare for the worst,« we must, of course, take the worst-case scenario into account. The Polish Armed Forces are continuing to develop dynamically, because on the one hand we want to be better prepared to ensure our country’s security, and on the other we must build capabilities that will allow us to maintain an advantage over the enemy in the future as well. In accordance with the applicable documents and the designated purpose of special forces, they have specific tasks to fulfill precisely in the early phases of conflict that precede a full-scale war.

Are you already conducting any operations or rather concentrate on training?

At this stage, we are focusing primarily on training and cooperation with the services responsible for our country’s interior security: the Police, the Border Guard, and intelligence agencies. However, considering the incidents that have occurred in our country over the past few months, such as blowing up railway tracks between Warsaw and Lublin, a large-scale drone attack, arresting members of spy networks, we can assume that we are already in the early stages of a conflict with Russia.

If this conflict escalates, the experience gained by special forces operators during asymmetric conflicts, in Iraq or Afghanistan, for instance, may prove useful. The ability to conduct F3EAD [Find, Fix, Finish, Exploit, Analyze, Disseminate] operations may be crucial in ensuring security within our country. By following this procedure, we are able to conduct reconnaissance, operational, analytical, planning, and kinetic operations, aiming at, for example, physical neutralization of an armed sabotage group. However, I would not want special forces to be perceived solely through the lens of high-profile kinetic operations. A spectacular direct action is the tip of the iceberg, whose backbone is composed of days or months of tedious effort by planners, analysts, logisticians, reconnaissance and command support specialists.

MajGen Michał Strzelecki

The 22nd Special Air Service (SAS) and the Special Boat Service (SBS), the UK’s elite Tier 1 special forces units, have been reorganized to focus more on countering asymmetric and hybrid threats than on their previous counterterrorism tasks. Should the law and the scope of operations for our special forces also undergo a change?

Certainly, particular legal regulations might be clarified or amended, making it easier to deploy special forces within the country during peacetime. In many NATO countries, such as the UK, changes are already underway, and there is greater willingness to use special forces operators for purposes such as counterterrorism or restricting the freedom of maneuver of shadow fleet vessels. However, decisions on this matter fall within the authority of the commanders of the armed forces. Should such an initiative arise, the Special Forces Component Command is ready to submit its recommendations.

You mentioned counterterrorism operations. Where else could special forces units prove useful?

The most obvious example would be the protection of critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. Naturally, the primary responsibility of securing it lies with the facility operator. Secondly, services under the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, coordinated by the Internal Security Agency, should be engaged. Only then could the armed forces, including special forces, be called upon. It is no secret that we possess extensive capabilities in conducting maritime special operations. The cooperation between special forces and state services is ongoing and is systematically strengthened through exercises involving all units and institutions responsible for this area.

Due to their ability to operate effectively in various environments, including urban areas, special forces play a unique role in countering hybrid activities and other operations below the threshold of war. What role would they play in the event of a full-scale conflict?

If the worst-case scenario occurred and an open armed conflict broke out, our top priority would shift to conducting special reconnaissance. While countering enemy acts of sabotage and supporting the protection of critical infrastructure would continue, these tasks would have to take a back seat. We would conduct reconnaissance for other components of the Polish Armed Forces and our NATO allies as part of so-called joint targeting, identifying high-value targets and assessing the effects of strikes. In justified cases, we would independently conduct direct operations against targets of the highest priority.

I would also like to remind everyone that the Special Forces Component Command has been validated to command NATO special operations in a full-scale conflict. We can therefore command special operations at both the national and allied level simultaneously.

A full-scale war has been raging in Ukraine for four years. What lessons are our special forces drawing from it?

Polish special operations forces have been cooperating with their Ukrainian partners for ten years now. The benefits are mutual. We have shared our knowledge and skills in specific areas, and developed our capabilities to provide military support. In return, we have had access to the unique knowledge and experience gained by our Ukrainian partners in direct combat with the enemy. After the outbreak of a full-scale conflict, this cooperation changed its nature, but it has continued. Its details, however, must remain classified.

What experiences from the war in Ukraine had direct impact on the training programs for Polish operators? Can you give us any specific examples?

The first area is battlefield medicine. The war in Ukraine has reminded us that the experience regarding the provision of medical care on the battlefield gained in asymmetric operations in Afghanistan and Iraq will not be useful in a full-scale conflict. The »golden hour« rule that we know from foreign missions, which involved providing rapid battlefield care followed by immediate transport to a field hospital, is currently very difficult to implement. That’s why we learn lessons from our Ukrainian partners and their way of providing help to casualties on the battlefield. We are focusing on building skills to provide prolonged care to the wounded when evacuation from the front line is impossible.

Another area is using unmanned systems on the battlefield. The Ukrainians prove that it is an extremely effective tool which can be used in many different ways. Not that special forces operators started using drones only after 2022 – we have been working with these systems for many years. It is undeniable, however, that recently there has been tremendous progress in the area. We have created drone laboratories in two of our units, where soldiers learn to build strike and reconnaissance drones, as well as adapt them to their specific needs.

The third area is building a strong personnel reserve for the special operations forces. The war in Ukraine clearly shows how important it is to be able to replace irreversible losses on the battlefield. We draw from their experiences and that’s why we want to look for solutions now, in peacetime, so that they are readily available in the situation of real threat.

Do you already have an idea how to solve this issue?

The structure of the special operations forces includes a unit established for wartime use and intended to replenish personnel losses. However, both the process of assigning passive reserve soldiers who receive mobilization assignments to this unit and their training must undergo changes. We will soon propose a solution that will allow us to open up to volunteers who wish to undergo training as special operations forces reservists. We will be looking for young people who are highly motivated, physically fit, and ready for intensive training; people with potential, who, in the event of war and significant personnel losses, will be able to replace combat team operators.

Do you think you will find such volunteers?

I hope so. There is considerable interest in various forms of military training, addressed to candidates for professional soldiers, the active reserve, the territorial military service, the passive reserve, as well as civilians. I hope that some reservists or prospective reservists will rise to the challenge, undergo screening, test their aptitude, and complete an interesting yet demanding training program. I believe that in our society there are plenty of ambitious people who are determined to protect the country’s security, yet for work or family reasons cannot perform professional or territorial service.

Can’t you make use of the experience of reservists who are former special operations forces soldiers?

That’s a completely different matter. Special forces do draw on the experience of reservists who have retired from professional military service. Many of them are assigned to our units as passive reservists. A significant number have also chosen to continue their service in the active reserve and are a valuable asset to us.

We have a different proposal for candidates to the active reserve, former professional soldiers, and graduates of various forms of military training. Based on the experience of special operations forces in some NATO countries, primarily the US and the UK, we intend to create a combat team for active reserve soldiers, currently referred to as combat team R. The recruitment and training criteria for candidates wishing to serve in this unit will be identical to those we set for candidates in professional combat teams. They will be subject to selection and a basic training course, which lasts an average of one year on a continuous basis for professional soldiers. In the case of active reservists, however, it will be divided into blocks and conducted in a way which will allow the candidates to balance participation in demanding training with other obligations.

Many special forces units struggle to recruit candidates for regular service, so what are the chances of assembling combat team R?

Combat team R doesn’t need thousands or even hundreds of active reservists. There are plenty of patriots among Polish citizens who will approach military training with genuine passion. Many of them already devote their free time to take part in training courses on tactics, shooting and battlefield medicine; some of these courses are conducted at a surprisingly high level. I am convinced that among these people, we can find a sufficient number of candidates ready to trade their current hobbies for service to their homeland as part of the active reserve in special forces combat teams.

Recruiting and selecting the right candidates for service, whether they are professional soldiers or reservists, remains an ongoing challenge for the special operations forces. We need people who learn fast and adapt very quickly to new conditions. We know exactly what threat we’re facing. We must be prepared for the most difficult and least predictable scenarios. That is why we want to offer career development opportunities in special operations forces to both professional soldiers and reservists.

MajGen Michał Strzelecki

He has been the Commander of the Polish Special Forces Component since July 2025; previously, he commanded, among others, the 6th Airborne Brigade and the Special Forces Commando Unit (Jednostka Wojskowa Komandosów - JWK) in Lubliniec.