The Territorial Defense Forces () was an armed force responsible for the internal security of Poland and separate from the Polish Army. The OTK existed from 1965 until 2008. As initially organized, OTK forces included both an " Internal Defense Forces" and the "

Border Protection Troops Border Protection Forces (, ''WOP''), also known under its English abbreviation BPT, was the border guard service of the People's Republic of Poland from 1945 to 1989. During its 46 years of existence, it repeatedly changed its structural and servi ...

". This style of

internal security Internal security is the act of keeping peace within the borders of a sovereign state or other Self-governance, self-governing territories, generally by upholding the national law and defending against internal security threats. This task and rol ...

organization corresponded to that used by the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

during the same period. After the

fall of communism in Poland Autumn, also known as fall (especially in US & Canada), is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Southern Hemispher ...

, changing political priorities led to the reduction of OTK forces. By 1 July 2008, the last of its battalions were converted to mechanized units of the army.

History

The Territorial Defense Forces of the Country (OTK) were established in Poland by the resolution of the

State Defense Committee The State Defense Committee () was an extraordinary organ of state power in the Soviet Union during the German-Soviet War, also called the Great Patriotic War, with complete state power in the country. General scope The Soviets set up the GKO ...

of May 14, 1959, used to directly defend the country's territory against various threats (the external system consisted of operational troops intended to act as part of the United Armed Forces of the Warsaw Pact, assumed to be outside the country's territory). to help defend Polish territory in situations where the Polish People's Army was engaged abroad under

Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a Collective security#Collective defense, collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Polish People's Republic, Poland, between the Sovi ...

obligations. Although their primary mission was defending the homeland, the OTK also had the

mission of transporting

Soviet forces The Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also known as the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, the Red Army (1918–1946) and the Soviet Army (1946–1991), were the armed forces of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republi ...

and supplies across Poland in wartime. Formed mainly from units shifted from the

Ministry of Internal Affairs An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the i ...

, the OTK went under a new Inspectorate for National Territorial Defense in the

Ministry of National Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divide ...

. On December 1965 took over as Chief Inspector of Territorial Defense Forces. The OTK included the Internal Defense Forces (, the largest unit) and several smaller territorial defense units. Immediately after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the WOW's predecessor organization, the

Internal Security Corps The Internal Security Corps (, KBW) was a special-purpose military formation in Poland under History of Poland (1945–1989)#Stalinist era (1948–1956), communist government, established on 24 May 1945. History The KBW consisted of 10 new ca ...

() had suppressed the

Home Army The Home Army (, ; abbreviated AK) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) established in the ...

, which had been loyal to the London government-in-exile; the KBW had also played a large part in suppressing the Poznan workers in 1956. By 1990 the Territorial Defense Forces was not a credible military force. The organization included many nonmilitary patriotic and social groups, such as the boy scouts, and many military retirees found soft assignments in OTK units. Although the force had a military commander, it was not under the direct control of the

. By 1991 budget cuts were reducing personnel significantly, and plans called for transforming many OTK units into civil defense formations that would support production and service in the civilian economy. The OTK units remaining armed and attached to districts as regional defense forces would count as part of the ground forces' planned mid-1990s allotment of about 150,000 troops. They were to function as cadre units reinforcing operational ground forces within their territorial boundaries. Reduction of OTK units continued, and the last units of the OTK were converted to mechanized infantry units of the Polish Army by 1 July 2008. The military

() was disbanded in 1991, and replaced by the , whose commander reports to the

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

. The change resulted in personnel reductions from 21,000 in 1991 to 13,500. On November 16, 2016, the Sejm of the Republic of Poland passed the act establishing Territorial Defence Force from January 1, 2017.

Organization and tasks

Their tasks, in addition to fighting against air attack means, air and sea landings, and combating enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups, included the protection of important facilities and communication routes, securing the regrouping of operational troops by maintaining bridges and building crossings, supporting the forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in maintaining public order during war, and participation in work for the national economy and the elimination of natural disasters during peace. These troops actually began to be formed in 1963. The OTK troops included: * Internal Defense Forces *National Air Defense Forces (WOPK) *Territorial Defense Forces of the Navy *Territorial Defense Units (OT) The basis for the formation of the OTK land forces were the newly formed Territorial Defense units (OT) and the Internal Defense Forces, established in 1966 by transferring the existing units of the Internal Security Corps.

References

Citations

Bibliography

: Glenn E. Curtis (ed.), ''Poland : a country study'', p. 267, Washington: GPO, 1994. . * * {{Authority control Defunct gendarmeries Military units and formations of Poland Military units and formations established in 1965 Military units and formations disestablished in 2008 Wojska obrony terytorialnej WOT