Publication date: May 05, 2026

The first act of Polish-British military cooperation, preceding Poland’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, was the Agreement on Military Cooperation between the Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Poland and the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, signed on October 30, 1995. Under the Agreement, bilateral cooperation between Poland and the United Kingdom covered more than a dozen areas, primarily: defense policy; arms control and confidence- and security-building measures; verification activities under international agreements, including joint inspections and observation flights; planning principles; organizational structures of the armed forces; personnel policy; military law; education in the armed forces; training of military and civilian personnel; the role of the armed forces in peacetime; participation of the armed forces in humanitarian operations and during natural disasters; maritime search and rescue; military administration; military medicine; cartography and hydrography; research and development activities; and environmental protection within the armed forces, with the possibility of expanding to other forms of cooperation and modifying existing provisions. In 2002, this was supplemented by a separate memorandum of understanding between the Government of the Republic of Poland and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning the conduct of military exercises and training and the provision of host nation support. Under the agreement, as part of its general obligations, the host nation is to issue consent and take actions to facilitate the hosting forces in: conducting agreed exercises and training; moving troops along national land, air, and sea routes; moving military equipment, weapons, ammunition, and supplies along these routes; using airport and port facilities; and using local resources to meet the host forces’ supply and equipment needs. Furthermore, the host nation: authorizes host force personnel to use lethal warfare (live ammunition) at agreed locations; provides liaison personnel; informs them of applicable national regulations; assists with customs and settlement matters; and ensures the standard of goods and services provided. These host forces must: conduct exercises and training in accordance with their implementing agreements and other applicable regulations; reimburse the host nation for the costs of supplying goods and services other than those provided free of charge; return borrowed items in unaltered condition; comply with customs regulations; Comply with host nation regulations and procedures, including those related to environmental protection; notify the host nation of shipments of ammunition and hazardous materials, store and use them in accordance with applicable regulations, and provide liaison personnel as needed . In matters of discipline, authorized host nation authorities have the right to detain host military personnel, but must immediately inform their superiors. The host nation exercises jurisdiction over host military personnel within the framework of the general penal system.

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