Poland prepares law introducing ‘pre-war state’ to respond faster to threats
Poland is preparing legislation to define a new “pre-war state,” allowing its military and security services to respond more quickly to heightened threats before the country is formally at war, Polish Radio reported.
The proposed rules are intended to address what officials describe as a gap between peacetime and wartime procedures amid hybrid, cyber and disinformation threats.
The legislation would allow faster troop deployments, expand the number of units on permanent defense duty and improve coordination between the armed forces and domestic security services. Poland also plans to align its Defense Response Plan with NATO’s response system and prepare infrastructure for military operations.
Gen. Roman Polko, a former commander of Poland’s GROM special forces unit, said the country needs to formally define the situation between peace and war and determine which restrictions on the military should be lifted to allow it to respond effectively.
The new rules could be submitted to the Polish president for signature within weeks, according to Polish Radio.
The proposal comes as Poland strengthens defenses along its eastern border. Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced plans to deploy a Patriot air defense battery to the Lublin region bordering Ukraine and expand the military presence there, including a new unmanned systems unit.
Poland also changed its air defense procedures on Oct. 1, allowing hostile airborne targets to be engaged based on radar identification without requiring pilots to approach them for visual confirmation.
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