European Interest

Poland to form ‘cyber army’

wikipedia.org/Secretary of Defense
Polish Minister of Defense Antoni Macierewicz at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, June 15, 2016.

Poland’s defence minister has announced the country’s decision to launch a “cyber army”. Addressing a conference in Krakow, Antoni Macierewicz said this new army will number more than 1,000 soldiers and be capable of waging war in cyberspace.

The minister also told the “Cybersec” European Cybersecurity Forum on October 9 that Poland has earmarked some €465m to create this new army.

As reported by Radio Poland online, Macierewicz also said that in the modern world, cyberspace is a theatre of combat that is “no less than [military operations] on land, sea, air and in space”.

He said the defence ministry and other Polish government ministries were targeted by “troll factories” almost every day.

“All means thanks to which public opinion can be manipulated are employed,” he said. “Credible-looking interviews, recordings and even books are appearing that are then widely promoted in the country and around the world.”

Earlier on October 9, Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło announced the creation of a new cybersecurity department in her office.

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