Military Intelligence Service (SWW)

Status

The Act of 9 June 2006 creates the SWW as a special service responsible for protection against external threats to the defence of the state (art. 2).¹

The Head of the SWW reports to the Minister of National Defence, without prejudice to the powers of the Prime Minister and the minister coordinating the special services; his activities are subject to oversight by the Sejm (art. 3).¹

Tasks

The SWW obtains, analyses and passes to the competent bodies information relevant to the defence of the state, and identifies and counters external military threats to the defence of the Republic of Poland (art. 6(1)).¹

The Act also lists identifying international terrorism and arms trafficking, including weapons of mass destruction, analysing threats in conflict areas, conducting electronic intelligence for the Armed Forces and cryptanalysis, taking part in organising military missions abroad, and verifying arms control agreements (art. 6(1)).²

The SWW carries out these tasks abroad; within Poland it may act only in connection with its activities outside the country (art. 6(2)–(3)). Its officers carry out operational and reconnaissance activities and analytical activities (art. 26).²

Direction and oversight

The Head of the SWW is appointed and dismissed by the Prime Minister at the request of the Minister of National Defence, after consulting the President, the College for Special Services (Kolegium do Spraw Służb Specjalnych) and the Sejm Special Services Committee; the deputies are appointed by the minister (art. 13). The head must hold Polish citizenship only, have a university degree and hold a security clearance for information classified “top secret” (ściśle tajne) (art. 16).²

The direction of the service’s work is set by the minister in guidelines approved by the Prime Minister. The head submits annual action plans and, by 31 March, a report on the service’s activities and on budget implementation; the minister passes the guidelines and approved documents to the President (art. 7). The head informs the minister, the President and the Prime Minister of matters relevant to state security (art. 19).²

Cooperation with foreign services requires the consent of the Prime Minister (art. 9). SKW and SWW units may form part of military contingents abroad (art. 22).²

Predecessor and relations

Until 2006 military intelligence was a branch of the WSI. Civilian intelligence is the responsibility of the AW, and military counterintelligence that of the SKW; the forms of cooperation between the SKW and the SWW are set out in an unpublished order of the Minister of National Defence (art. 8).^2,3