Increased movement of columns of military vehicles. The Polish Army Staff issued a statement

“There is increased traffic of columns of military vehicles on the roads of almost the entire country in connection with international exercises codenamed SteadfastDefender24 and Dragon24,” informs the Polish army – the announcement was published on February 28 in the morning.

The exercises “will be a test of the capabilities” of the Polish armed forces, checking their “reaction to a potential, multidimensional crisis of an armed nature,” informed the Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz on February 26. This will strengthen the Alliance's “deterrence and defense potential” and demonstrate the “strength and determination that comes from its unity,” we read.

You can encounter columns on Polish roads

The Polish Army says that up to 20,000 will take part in the SD24 and D24 exercises. soldiers, as well as 3.5 thousand units of equipment from 10 countries – members of the Alliance. As for Poland, 15,000 will participate in the exercises. soldiers. The goal that was set was to subject them to “a test of cooperation and performance of combat tasks on land, in the air and at sea”, as well as “in cyberspace”.

On February 28, the Polish Army announced in a statement that during the maneuvers taking place as part of the exercises, ““The procedures and abilities of troops to quickly move and achieve readiness in the indicated area of ​​operation will be checked.” It was emphasized that “the transport and movement of troops is a component of all types of operations conducted by the armed forces.”

The army asks drivers not to drive between the columns

The General Staff of the Polish Army appealed to citizens and drivers to be understanding, stay calm and, above all, be careful. At the beginning of February, the Polish army, announcing the maneuvers once again, informed that they would last from mid-February to the end of May – then the vehicles they will move around almost every voivodeship.

The soldiers will try to ensure that everything goes smoothly and that traffic disruptions are avoided. The columns will be escorted by the Military Police. The Armed Forces Service is also supposed to protect them. The Police and traffic control units of the Polish Army will assist the Military Police, the release said.

The Polish Army warned drivers not to drive between military machines forming a column. In addition, the headquarters appealed, in the context of personal data protection, for the media and civilians “not to publish information and photos illustrating the movements of troops and their locations,” as well as “the dates and times of the passage of military columns or data regarding the departures and landings of military aircraft.”

Why not take photos? Due to two important aspects

“Any ill-considered action on the Internet, publishing photos showing important military facilities, installations and devices, may have negative consequences,” it was noted. This is important for security and defense reasons.