Role of the Polish Armed Forces in combating the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

This article aims to summarise the involvement of the Polish Armed Forces in combating the effects of the nationwide crisis – the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to the nature of the threat, which has primarily affected the healthcare system, the critical role of the military healthcare system in supporting the general healthcare system is presented. The first part of the study is a description of the powers and resources subordinate to the Minister of Defense assigned to assist the civilian healthcare sys-tem with regards to transport of medical products by air and land. The second part of the paper is a presentation of Polish military medical missions to Italy, Slovenia, and the United States, while the third part shows how the experience gained during the missions was used in Po-land, within the healthcare system, in the crisis conditions. More-over, in the third part of the paper, the role that military hospitals and univer-sities played in the fight against Covid-19 is emphasised, particularly the involvement of cadets from military universities in easing the burden on medical personnel and gaining valuable experience by the future members of the Polish Armed Forces. The fourth part of the study is entirely dedicated to the activities of the Territorial Defense Forces as part of the action “Resilient Spring”.