1st Special Commando Regiment
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The Polish Army's 1st Special Commando Regiment (Polish: 1. Pułk Specjalny Komandosów, 1. PSK) is one of the three special operations forces currently operating within the Polish military's structure.
Thanks to the unit's high recruiting standards, and a special training programme the Regiment implemented several years ago, the unit's soldiers display a higher level of skill and professionalism, when compared to other Polish forces. The Regiment's troops are trained to undertake a wide range of special missions during war time, with its troops being capable of conducting air assault, helicopter, and parachute operations (including HALO and HAHO operations); strategic and tactical reconnaissance operations; raids and ambushes; combat diver and underwater attack missions; providing support to other specialist units during hostage rescue operations; and other missions as deemed necessary.
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[edit] Current status
The unit, based in Lubliniec, near Częstochowa, is currently (2005) operating under the command of Col. Jania. The Regiment carries on the traditions of several World War II special mission units. These units, organised with the assistance of the U.S. and Britain consisted of the 2nd Commando Battalion, of the Special Motorised Battalion and the "Parasol" (Umbrella) and "Zośka" Sabotage Battalion.
Prior to 1994, the Regiment was composed of a single battalion (1 Independent Special Battalion), but it's currently organised into three special battalions and an independent combat swimmer company. Each battalion is composed of three companies, which are divided into three platoons. Each platoon contains 3-six man teams giving the unit a total strength of approximately 90 operational teams, plus support staff.
In the near future the unit is to become a fully professional force composed entirely of professional soldiers. The Regiment, along with the GROM Counter-Terrorism unit and the Navy's GSP (“Formoza”) combat diver unit, is slated to fall under a newly-proposed Polish special operations command.
[edit] Recruitment
Candidates wanting to serve in the Regiment must first successfully undertake a basic military training course. They then move on to a three-month “Junior Specialist” training course. During this phase recruits receive training in close combat, unarmed combat, fighting with specialised equipment, parachuting, land navigation, weapons handling, basic survival, and several other military-related skills. Troops who successfully complete the second phase then move onto the Regiment, where they are assigned to one the unit's six-man operational teams. Once there, additional training continues (mountain and cold weather training, sniper, amphibious operations, etc.).
[edit] Recent operations
The regiment has been quite active over the last few years with troops being deployed to support NATO operations in the Republic of Macedoniaa during the Kosovo conflict. A 13-man detachment was deployed to Afghanistan as part of Polish support for Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). Most recently the unit has deployed a 56-man company to Iraq as part of the Multinational Division Central South.
[edit] Equipment
The 1PSK armouries are currently in a state of flux as the unit tries to upgrade the equipment used by its operators. Weapons in use by the unit include the P-83 (9 mm Makarov) and WIST-94 (9 mm Luger) pistols, kbs wz.96 & wz. 04 Beryl 5.56 mm assault rifles, (many of the weapons have been modified with the addition of foregrips, laser aiming devices, aiming lights/illumination devices, and various optics such as Tasco telescopic scopes and/or night vision devices), MP5, MP5SD, Uzi, PM-84P Glauberyt (some of which have been equipped with sound suppressors) 9 mm sub-machineguns., km PKM/PKMS 7.62 m GPMGs. Unit snipers are equipped with the Finnish 7.62 mm SAKO TRG-21, TRG-22, and kbw SVD (“Dragunov”) sniper rifles.
