The operation to change soldiers' individual equipment is underway. A modular system "from head to toe" is needed

According to the Ministry of National Defense, this year is to be a breakthrough in terms of changing the individual equipment of Polish soldiers. This is the result of the Szpej operation, which has been ongoing for 1.5 years, the aim of which is to modernize uniforms and weapons and which the government has given high priority to. During last week's Defence24 Days forum, two Polish companies presented their proposal for a "head-to-toe" equipment system for soldiers, the advantage of which is not only its comprehensiveness, but also modularity and the ability to adapt to the specific needs of a given operator.

- The individual equipment of a soldier has been changing a lot recently. This equipment, this technological leap allows us to survive on the front line, so we can colloquially say, because it is not only a tactical vest, but also a ballistic one, and so is the helmet - not the ordinary sheet metal that used to be, but Kevlar and it would be best if it was equipped with an internal system that would cause this kinetic impact to eliminate the bullet or shrapnel - Paweł "Naval" Mateńczuk, plenipotentiary of the Minister of National Defence for military service conditions, former operator of JW Grom, participant of combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, tells the Newseria agency.

The aim of Operation Szpej is to modernize the individual equipment and armament of soldiers, which can directly translate into effectiveness and survivability on the modern battlefield. This includes uniforms and underwear, outerwear adapted to various weather conditions, footwear, as well as bulletproof vests, helmets, and rifles equipped with advanced optics, including holographic sights and magnifying scopes.

- Operation Szpej aims not only to equip soldiers with the latest equipment, but also to change the rules of the game, i.e. to adapt today's legal regulations to this technological leap that we all benefit from today. We know how fast it is and how difficult it is for the regulations to keep up with it - explains the representative of the Ministry of National Defense in an interview conducted during Defense24 Days. - According to the regulations, it is forbidden to make any alterations to uniforms, so regardless of who and what their posture is, they had no right to cut something or do something.

As emphasized by the head of the Logistics Directorate P4 of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, Brig. Gen. Mariusz Skulimowski, during the session of the Sejm National Defense Committee on December 3, 2024, the project introduced the possibility of disassembling field uniforms in order to adjust them to the body structure, which is beneficial from the point of view of adapting them to the needs of the soldier. Actions have been taken to withdraw the use of suspenders for carrying equipment from soldiers and replace them with light tactical belts. Metal helmets have been withdrawn from use. As Piotr Mateńczuk recently emphasized on the YT MON channel, 100% of professional soldiers already have Kevlar helmets. Tactical vests are the subject of orders and they - like helmets - will also be selected in terms of the tasks performed.

- Everyone has their own experience, I am a soldier of a special unit, so for each operation, for each mission we dressed and equipped ourselves with different equipment. Because imagine what this equipment should be like, how I should dress for boarding in the Persian Gulf, and later for training in Belize: different shoes, different vest and maybe a life jacket is unnecessary, although in the jungle there was sometimes more water than in the Persian Gulf, because it rains all the time and the humidity is almost 100 percent. So give the soldier the opportunity to choose from the equipment he receives what he needs. We have the basis, the core, and on top of that we build the appropriate equipment for the operation that is being performed - explains Paweł "Naval" Mateńczuk.

Representatives of the Ministry of National Defense during the session of the Sejm National Defense Committee pointed out that for many years the area of ​​individual equipment of soldiers remained neglected and underfunded. For example, in 2016 and 2017, the level of financial security of needs in these areas was 18 percent and 32 percent, respectively. Despite visible attempts to improve the situation since 2022, the level of 98 percent was only reached last year.

- The motivator in such things as individual equipment is usually a situation when we meet soldiers from other armies in the world and we always compare who has what. In addition, the amount of equipment on the civilian market and companies that produce for military enthusiasts is very large, so a soldier who is a private shooter, hikes in the mountains, "plays" the army or trains, the civilian market allows him to equip himself in a much better, wider range. In comparison to what I can buy on the civilian market and what the army gives me, there is a big difference - emphasizes the plenipotentiary of the Minister of National Defense for the conditions of military service.

As explained by the Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, General Wiesław Kukuła, during the aforementioned meeting of the commission, the organizational culture of the armed forces was one of the most frequently indicated reasons for soldiers to resign from service prematurely. Many of them explained in the study that it does not fit the times in which we live, and the individual equipment that is allocated to soldiers was indicated by them as "evidence of how the state approaches their service and ensuring the quality of this service."

- In reality, considering its cost, uniforms are a small element of a soldier's equipment, but they have a very large impact on their morale and survivability, because if we have wet shoes, wet socks, a torn uniform, it is difficult to perform our task. I do not think that the uniforms currently proposed by the Ministry of National Defense are bad uniforms, but their main disadvantage is that they are not systemic uniforms. Because the uniform designs, from underwear, through uniforms, to protective clothing, were not made in conjunction with each other and unfortunately the lack of this modularity, the lack of coordination of this system causes problems - says Piotr Kowalik, President of the Management Board of Unifeq Europe.

The company, together with PSO Maskpol, one of the companies of the PGZ Group, presented ECS Dragon (European Combat System) at the Defence24 Days conference, its proposal for a modern system of uniforms and individual equipment. It is a nine-layer structure of clothing and field equipment, developed with the aim of full support for soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces, in particular the Land Forces and Territorial Defense Forces.

- This is the first Polish system adapted to our uniform needs - emphasizes Piotr Kowalik. - There are nine levels, which is based on American systems, i.e. from underwear, through all windproof, uniform, softshell layers, to protective clothing, thermal clothing, camouflage clothing. This is really a system that allows the operator to operate in any conditions, from desert through forest, in European conditions, but also in Arctic conditions. It is a modular system that can be adapted to the needs of a specific operator.

As the creators of the system point out, it combines engineering knowledge, operational experience and modern production technologies. One of its key features is its full compatibility with soldier protective equipment, vests, equipment and ballistic protection. The project also developed variants of protective vests and equipment elements, adapted to various operational needs - both for line and specialist units.

- The whole problem is that you have to protect the soldier in such a way as to provide him with full ergonomics of action on the battlefield. We see what experiences soldiers have, even on our eastern border, because we travel there, participate, see how it all happens, and this system is a response to this demand. We want to create a system that will fully suit the user depending on what he does. One soldier needs a light vest and a high-cut helmet, another needs to be more protected - says Wojciech Mularczyk, president of the management board of Maskpol.

The ECS Dragon project is being developed as a public-private partnership and is based on close cooperation between the defence industry and domestic suppliers of textile and ballistic technologies.

- Today we are basically at the beginning of the journey, even though we have made this system from head to toe in a very short time. In the event that the army is interested in such a system, at the beginning we have to cause full production of all materials in Poland. We want to propose this system in such a way that it is made in several dozen or several hundred sets, so that it can be sent to the army for testing. And then, if there are any comments, observations, possible changes, then we will adjust it and make further decisions. Then a production time schedule can be created. Today it is difficult for me to say whether it will be half a year or nine months. Generally, it will of course be in Poland, based on Polish plants, both fabrics and basically all accessories, possibly from the European Union - explains Wojciech Mularczyk.

The assumption is that the full production capacity of the Polish industry is to be used to carry out the Szpej operation. The vast majority of orders are being carried out by Polish companies, which supports the development of the industry. The main objectives of the operation are to be completed by mid-2026, but it is to be a long-term process that will take into account technological changes on an ongoing basis. New operational needs are constantly being defined in individual categories. The second stage of the operation is planned for 2025-2026, with secured financing under the Technical Modernization Plan at a level of almost PLN 2 billion, with the possibility of increasing this amount.

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