Siły Zbrojne PRL w strukturach wojskowych Układu Warszawskiego
Participation of the Armed Forces of the Polish People’s Republic in the Military Structures of the Warsaw Pact

Summary/Abstract: The creation of the Warsaw Pact involved the establishment of several military bodies. Initially, there were only two such institutions in the form of the United Command and Staff of the United Armed Forces. These bodies did not allow any of the member states to have a greater influence on the functioning of the alliance. It was not until the 1970s, when the Cold War intensified, that new military bodies of an advisory nature were created, such as: the Committee of Ministers of Defense, the Military Council of the United Armed Forces Command, the Military Scientific and Technical Council and the Technical Committee of the United Armed Forces. The Headquarters of the United Armed Forces was also expanded, with posts for representatives of each member of the Pact. Polish officers did not hold key positions in the military command structure. Attempts to rectify this situation were not made until the second half of the 1980s, when the Warsaw Pact was already on the verge of collapse.

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