Polish General Staff

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 Ministry of National Defence and the Chief of the General Staff is the highest ranking military officer at the Ministry. It was created in 1918, and was renamed the Main Staff (Sztab Główny) in 1928 before being reverted back to General Staff (Sztab Generalny) in 1945 by the Soviet backed Communist Government. Currently General Wiesław Kukuła holds the position of Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces (Szef Sztabu Generalnego Wojska Polskiego).^[1]

Chief of the General Staff
Szef Sztabu Generalnego Wojska Polskiego
Emblem of the PGS
Flag of the PGS Chief
Incumbent General Wiesław Kukuła since 10 October 2023
Polish Armed Forces
Member of	General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces
Reports to	Minister of National Defence
Appointer	President of Poland
Formation	28 October 1918
First holder	Tadeusz Jordan-Rozwadowski
Website	www.wojsko-polskie.pl/sgwp

History and structure

On 25 October 1918, a decision was made to establish the directorate of the chief of staff of the Polish Army. On 22 December 1928 the General Staff was renamed to the Main Staff (Sztab Główny). In September 1939, during the Invasion of Poland by the Wehrmacht and the Red Army, all the institutions of the Main Staff ceased to function and were transferred to joint German and Soviet control. On 8 August 1944, the Main Staff of the Polish Army was created by the Polish Committee of National Liberation and on 10 July 1945, the Provisional Government of National Unity reverted its name back to the General Staff of the Polish Army, the head of which was appointed Soviet-Polish General Vladislav Korchits. The Polish government-in-exile kept the previous name until the positions dissolution.

The General Staff consists of the following command personnel and organizational units at the Ministry of National Defence (MON):

Command personnel (Kadra kierownicza):^[2]

• Chief of the General Staff (Szef Sztabu Generalnego WP) - Generał Wiesław Kukuła
• First Deputy Chief of the General Staff (I Zastępca szefa Sztabu Generalnego WP) - Generał dywizji Karol Dymanowski
• Deputy Chief of Staff (Zastępca szefa Sztabu Generalnego WP) - Generał broni Stanisław Czosnek
• Director of the Chief of the GS's Secretariat (Szef Sekretariatu Szefa SG WP) - Col. Arkadiusz Rubajczyk
• Director of the Legal Department (Szef Zespołu Prasowego - rzecznik prasowy SG WP) - Col. Joanna Klejszmit
• Director of the Coordination Center (Szef Centrum Koordynacyjnego) - Col. Adam Górecki
• Chief NCO (Starszy podoficer SG WP) - Starszy chorąży sztabowy Piotr Smuga

General Staff Directorates (Zarządy Sztabu Generalnego WP):^[3]

• Organization and Manpower Complement Directorate (Zarząd Organizacji i Zasobów Osobowych - P1) - Colonel Bogdan Sowa
• Intelligence and Reconnaissance Analysis Directorate (Zarząd Analiz Wywiadowczych i Rozpoznawczych - P2) - Generał brygady Mieczysław Bieniek
• Armed Forces Application Planning and Training Directorate (Zarząd Planowania Operacyjnego - P3) - Generał brygady Mirosław Polakow
• Logistics Directorate (Zarząd Logistyki - P4) - Generał brygady Mariusz Skulimowski
• Armed Forces Development Planning and Programming Directorate (Zarząd Planowania i Programowania Rozwoju Sił Zbrojnych - P5) - Generał brygady Rafał Ostrowski
• Management and Command Directorate (Zarząd Kierowania i Dowodzenia - P6) - Colonel Piotr Chodowiec
• Training Directorate (Zarząd Szkolenia - P7) - Generał brygady Rafał Miernik
• Material Planning Directorate (Zarząd Planowania Rzeczowego - P8) - Generał brygady Krzysztof Zielski

List of Chiefs

Kingdom of Poland (1917–1918)

Head of the Inspectorate

No.	Portrait	Head of the Inspectorate	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		von Barth, Felixgen. piech. Felix von Barth [pl] (1851–1931)	23 April 1917	19 October 1918	18 days
2		Minkiewicz, Henrykpłk Henryk Minkiewicz (1880–1940)	19 October 1918	28 October 1918	9 days

Chief of Staff

No.	Portrait	Chief of Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Rozwadowski, Tadeuszgen. dyw. Tadeusz Rozwadowski (1866–1928)	28 October 1918	14 November 1918	17 days

Second Polish Republic (1918−1939)

Chief of the General Staff

No.	Portrait	Chief of the General Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Rozwadowski, Tadeuszgen. dyw. Tadeusz Rozwadowski (1866–1928)	14 November 1918	15 November 1918	1 day
2		Szeptycki, Stanisławgen. broni Stanisław Szeptycki (1867–1950)	16 November 1918	7 February 1919	84 days
3		Haller, Stanisławgen. dyw. Stanisław Haller (1872–1940)	8 February 1919	22 July 1920	1 year, 165 days
(1)		Rozwadowski, Tadeuszgen. dyw. Tadeusz Rozwadowski (1866–1928)	22 July 1920	1 April 1921	253 days
4		Sikorski, Władysławgen. dyw. Władysław Sikorski (1881–1943)	1 April 1921	6 December 1922	1 year, 249 days
5		Piłsudski, JózefMarszałek Polski Józef Piłsudski (1867–1935)	17 December 1922	9 June 1923	174 days
(3)		Haller, Stanisławgen. dyw. Stanisław Haller (1872–1940)	9 June 1923	16 December 1925	2 years, 190 days
6		Kessler, Edmundgen. bryg. Edmund Kessler [pl] (1880–1930)	16 December 1925	12 May 1926	147 days
(3)		Haller, Stanisławgen. dyw. Stanisław Haller (1872–1940)	12 May 1926	15 May 1926	3 days
7		Burhardt-Bukacki, Stanisławgen. bryg. Stanisław Burhardt-Bukacki (1890–1942)	17 May 1926	28 June 1926	42 days
8		Piskor, Tadeuszgen. bryg. Tadeusz Piskor [b] (1889–1951)	28 June 1926	22 December 1928	2 years, 177 days

Chief of the Main Staff

No.	Portrait	Chief of the Main Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Piskor, Tadeuszgen. dyw. Tadeusz Piskor (1889–1951)	22 December 1928	5 December 1931	2 years, 348 days
2		Gąsiorowski, Januszgen. bryg. Janusz Gąsiorowski (1889–1949)	3 December 1931	7 June 1935	3 years, 186 days
3		Stachiewicz, Wacławgen. bryg. Wacław Stachiewicz (1894–1973)	7 June 1935	18 September 1939	4 years, 103 days

Polish government-in-exile (1939−1946)

No.	Portrait	Chief of the Main Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Kędzior, Aleksanderpłk Aleksander Kędzior [pl] (1897–1986)	7 November 1939	5 June 1940	211 days
2		Klimecki, Tadeuszgen. bryg. Tadeusz Klimecki (1895–1943)	5 June 1940	4 July 1943 †	3 years, 29 days
3		Kopański, Stanisławgen. dyw. Stanisław Kopański (1895–1976)	21 July 1943	3 September 1946	3 years, 44 days

Republic of Poland / People's Republic of Poland (1945−1989)

No.	Portrait	Chief of the General Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Korczyc, Władysławgen. broni Władysław Korczyc (1893–1966)	9 May 1945	18 January 1954	8 years, 254 days
–		Pigarewicz, Borysgen. broni Borys Pigarewicz [pl] (1898–1961) Acting	18 January 1954	23 March 1954	64 days
2		Bordziłowski, Jerzygen. broni Jerzy Bordziłowski (1900–1983)	23 March 1954	6 February 1965	10 years, 320 days
3		Jaruzelski, Wojciechgen. dyw. Wojciech Jaruzelski (1923–2014)	6 February 1965	10 April 1968	3 years, 64 days
4		Chocha, Bolesławgen. dyw. Bolesław Chocha (1923–1987)	10 April 1968	11 January 1973	4 years, 276 days
5		Siwicki, Floriangen. broni Florian Siwicki (1925–2013)	12 January 1973	21 November 1983	10 years, 313 days
6		Użycki, Józefgen. broni Józef Użycki (born 1932)	22 November 1983	1 January 1990	6 years, 40 days

Third Polish Republic (1990−present)

No.	Portrait	Chief of the General Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Użycki, Józefgen. broni Józef Użycki (born 1932)	1 January 1990	24 September 1990	266 days
2		Stelmaszuk, Zdzisławgen. broni Zdzisław Stelmaszuk [pl] (born 1936)	25 September 1990	4 August 1992	1 year, 314 days
3		Wilecki, Tadeuszgen. broni Tadeusz Wilecki [pl] (born 1945)	4 August 1992	9 March 1997	4 years, 216 days
4		Szumski, Henrykgen. broni Henryk Szumski (1941–2012)	10 March 1997	29 September 2000	3 years, 203 days
5		Piątas, Czesławgen. Czesław Piątas (born 1946)	30 September 2000	31 January 2006	5 years, 123 days
–		Cieniuch, Mieczysławgen. broni Mieczysław Cieniuch (born 1951) Acting	31 January 2006	27 February 2006	27 days
6		Gągor, Franciszekgen. Franciszek Gągor (1951–2010)	27 February 2006	10 April 2010 †	4 years, 42 days
–		Stachowiak, Mieczysławgen. broni Mieczysław Stachowiak [pl] (born 1952) Acting	10 April 2010	7 May 2010	27 days
7		Cieniuch, Mieczysławgen. Mieczysław Cieniuch (born 1951)	7 May 2010	6 May 2013	2 years, 364 days
8		Gocuł, Mieczysławgen. Mieczysław Gocuł (born 1963)	7 May 2013	31 January 2017	3 years, 269 days
9		Surawski, Leszekgen. Leszek Surawski (born 1960)	31 January 2017	2 July 2018	1 year, 152 days
10		Andrzejczak, Rajmundgen. Rajmund Andrzejczak (born 1967)	2 July 2018	10 October 2023	5 years, 100 days
11		Kukuła, Wiesławgen. Wiesław Kukuła (born 1972)	10 October 2023	Incumbent	1 year, 272 days

See also

Badge of a WSW–certified officer of the General Staff of the Second Polish Republic (1918–1939).

• Staff (military)
• General Inspector of the Armed Forces

Notes

1. Promoted to generał dywizji on 1 January 1928
2. Promoted to generał dywizji on 1 January 1928