Gen. Czesław Piątas (born 20 March 1946) is a Polish

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

, former

Chief of General Staff of the Polish Army Polish General Staff, formally known as the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces ( Polish: ''Sztab Generalny Wojska Polskiego'') is the highest professional body within the Polish Armed Forces. Organizationally, it is an integral part of the Mi ...

. He is one of the authors of the plan of modernisation of the Polish armed forces and one of the architects of its integration with the structures of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

Biography

Czesław Piątas was born in

Hausach Hausach (; gsw, label= Low Alemannic, Huusä) is a town in the Ortenaukreis, in western Baden-Württemberg, Germany. History Hausach was founded in the 13th century, below Husen Castle. In the 14th century, it became a possession of the Count ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. In September 1965 he joined the Polish Army and the Armour Officer's School in

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...

. After he graduated in 1968, he was promoted to the rank of

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diff ...

(''podporucznik'') and assigned to the 8th Tank Regiment of

Żagań Żagań (French and german: Sagan, hsb, Zahań , la, Saganum) is a town in western Poland, on the Bóbr river, with 25,731 inhabitants (2019). The town is the capital of Żagań County in the historic region of Silesia. Previously in the Ziel ...

-based Polish 11th Armoured Division as a tank platoon commander. In 1971 he was promoted to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

(''porucznik'') and the following year he assumed command over a company of tanks in the same regiment. For the good effects of his work on the post of a tank commander, in 1974 Piątas was sent to

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, where he joined the ''

Kliment Voroshilov Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov (, uk, Климент Охрімович Ворошилов, ''Klyment Okhrimovyč Vorošylov''), popularly known as Klim Voroshilov (russian: link=no, Клим Вороши́лов, ''Klim Vorošilov''; 4 Februa ...

Academy of Tank Troops''. One of the best students at his course, in 1975 he was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. In 1977 he graduated and was instantly assigned to the staff of the 11th Armoured Division, where he accomplished his probation. In 1978 he became the chief of staff and deputy

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latit ...

of the 3rd Tank Regiment of the 11th Division. The following year Piątas was promoted to major. In 1980 he joined the 10th Tank Regiment of the

Polish 10th Armoured Division Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

, of which he also was the chief of staff. The unit under his command won many military awards, including the title of a ''leading unit of the

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is spli ...

n Military District'', which won Piątas a promotion to the rank of

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

in 1982. The following year he became the chief of staff and deputy commanding officer of the

Opole Opole (; german: Oppeln ; szl, Ôpole) ; * Silesian: ** Silesian PLS alphabet: ''Ôpole'' ** Steuer's Silesian alphabet: ''Uopole'' * Silesian German: ''Uppeln'' * Czech: ''Opolí'' * Latin: ''Oppelia'', ''Oppolia'', ''Opulia'' is a city lo ...

-based 10th Armoured Division. He served on that post until 1986, when he was promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

and yet again sent to

for training. There he joined the General Staff Academy of the

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

. He graduated in 1982 and was assigned to the Headquarters of the Silesian Military Area, and in 1986 was given the command of

Polish 4th Mechanised Division Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

. Upon his return in 1988, Piątas settled in

Wrocław Wrocław (; , . german: Breslau, , also known by other names) is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, roughly ...

, where he became the Chief of Operations and the deputy commander of the Silesian Military District. In 1991 he left that post and became the commander of the Polish 4th Armoured Division dislocated in Krosno Odrzańskie. He distinguished himself as a brilliant organizer and in 1992 his division received the title of ''The Leading Unit of the Polish Army'' - the highest peacetime award a tactical unit can achieve. The same year he was promoted by president

Lech Wałęsa Lech Wałęsa (; ; born 29 September 1943) is a Polish statesman, dissident, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who served as the President of Poland between 1990 and 1995. After winning the 1990 election, Wałęsa became the first democrat ...

to the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed t ...

(''generał brygady'') and in 1993 he returned to the headquarters of the Silesian Military District, where he resumed his previous post of Chief of Operations and deputy commander. In 1996 he was moved to

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is official ...

, where he assumed the post of chief of staff of the Warsaw Military District. In January 1997 he was assigned to the General Staff of the Polish Army as the Chief of Operational and Strategic Command. As such he was one of the Polish officers who took part in the Polish-

accession talks in 1997-1998. After that he travelled to

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. There he settled in Washington, D.C. and joined the

National War College The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National War Co ...

. He graduated in 1999 and returned to Warsaw, where he became the deputy Chief of General Staff of the

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history str ...

. On 15 August 1999 he was promoted by president

Aleksander Kwaśniewski Aleksander Kwaśniewski (; born 15 November 1954) is a Polish politician and journalist. He served as the President of Poland from 1995 to 2005. He was born in Białogard, and during communist rule, he was active in the Socialist Union of P ...

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

(''generał dywizji''). On 28 September 2000 Piątas became the Chief of General Staff and was promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

(''generał broni''). On 15 August 2002 Piątas was promoted to the rank of

(''generał''). On 25 September 2003 he was reappointed to another three-year term as Chief of General Staff. He retired from active service in January 2006. In January 2008 he became Deputy Minister of Defense in

Donald Tusk Donald Franciszek Tusk ( , ; born 22 April 1957) is a Polish politician who was President of the European Council from 2014 to 2019. He served as the 14th Prime Minister of Poland from 2007 to 2014 and was a co-founder and leader of the Civic Pl ...

's government. General Czesław Piątas is married to Danuta. They have two children. He is interested in military history and tennis; and speaks Polish, Russian and English fluently.

External links

Polish Army vortal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Piatas, Czeslaw Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni 1946 births Living people Polish generals Polish expatriates in the Soviet Union Polish People's Army personnel

Biography

See also

External links