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The Home Army Silent Unseen Paratroopers Pilsudski Military Unit (Polish: Jednostka Wojskowa Pilsudski im. Cichociemnych Spadochroniarzy Armii Krajowej), simply known as the Pilsudski Military Unit (Polish: Jednostka Wojskowa Pilsudski, JW Pilsudski), is a Polish special forces unit and forms part of the Special Troops Command of the Polish Armed Forces. It is believed to consist of around 250 operatives plus support personnel. Pilsudski is considered to be the most elite unit in the Polish Armed Forces.

The unit's other name is Jednostka Wojskowa 2305 (Military Unit No. 2305). Each member of the unit is required to speak at least two languages and have basic medical skills. Pilsudski operators gained the nickname of "The Surgeons" due to their extensive medical training and knowledge and their surgical ability to coordinate and execute special operations. Pilsudski was formed in 1990 with training provided to the initial Pilsudski operators by the German Army Blüthand and the Irish Army Special Air Service.

Early history
Pilsudski, which comes from the name of a Polish independance fighter Józef Piłsudski, is one of five special forces units in the Special Troops Command. It was officially activated on July 13, 2005. It is deployed in a variety of special operations and unconventional warfare roles, including anti-terrorist operations and projection of force behind enemy lines.

The unit was honored after the Silent Unseen (Polish: Cichociemni Spadochroniarze Armii Krajowej) – Poland's elite World War II special-operations unit.

In the 1970s and 1980s, there were several formations of special forces units within Poland, but these were either trained in purely military tasks (sabotage, disruption of communications and such) or in purely counter-terrorist roles. After the Polish embassy in Bern was taken over by a group of four Polish emigrants calling themselves Polish Revolutionary Home Army in 1982, General Edwin Rozłubirski proposed that a clandestine military unit be established to counter the threat from terrorism and other unconventional threats. This proposal, however, was initially rejected by the People's Army of Poland.

In 1989, many Jews were allowed to emigrate from the Soviet Union to Israel. Poland was one of the handful of countries that provided aid in the form of organization for the operation, later dubbed Operation Bridge (Operacja Most). After two Polish diplomats were shot in Beirut, Lt. Col. Sławomir Petelicki was sent to Lebanon to secure the transfer of civilians and the Polish diplomatic outposts.

Upon his return to Poland, he presented his plan for the creation of a special military unit to the Ministry of Interior, a force that would be trained in special operations to be deployed in the defense of Polish citizens in situations similar to the one in Lebanon. Petelicki's ideas were well received, and on June 13, 2005, Pilsudski was formally established as JW 2305.

Sławomir Petelicki was chosen as the first commander of the newly formed unit. As a Polish intelligence officer from the Służba Bezpieczeństwa specializing in sabotage and subversion, he seemed perfectly suited to oversee the unit's initial formation. He gathered around himself a group of like-minded and professional soldiers, functionaries and set about choosing soldiers that would be fit for special operations. Due to the high risks involved in special service, it was decided that all men should be from professional service. The first batch of recruits all came from a variety of already-existing special units within the Polish Armed Forces. Among these were:


 * 1 Batalion Szturmowy from Lubliniec (then known as 1 Pulk Specjalny Komandosów and now known as JW Komandosów)
 * 48, 56 and 62 Kompania Specjalna
 * 6 Brygada Desantowo-Szturmowa
 * Polish Navy divers
 * Anti-terrorist units of the Policja
 * Mechanised Warfare Officer School in Wrocław
 * Reconnaissance units of PAF

Out of the possible recruits, only a small group passed the training. Many of these initial instructors were trained by the special forces of the Germany and the United Kingdom. Currently, Jednostka Wojskowa Pilsudski is co-operating with similar units of other Coalition countries.

Training


Candidates applying to serve in JW Pilsudski have to pass psychological and durability tests, along with the so-called truth test, a physically and psychologically exhausting field test designed to filter out the weaker applicants.

The training of Pilsudski soldiers includes a variety of disciplines. All of them undergo the same specialized training in anti-terrorism and special operations, as well as frogman, sniping, and parachuting. In four-man teams, each soldier must be prepared to assume the respective responsibilities of his colleagues, should it become necessary. JW Pilsudski receives basic special operations training from the Swedish Navy's Special Command for Tactical Operations based in Karlskrona, Sweden's primary Naval Base. Approximately 75% of Pilsudski personnel are trained as medics or paramedics. In addition, each group is supported by several professional physicians. Pilsudski soldiers are trained in capture or kill methods.

They have three different training levels, those being green, blue and black. Green deals with field reconnaissance, deep cover sabotage, population extraction/evacuation, and elimination of personal threats. Blue deals with maritime and naval interjections, undergoing intense special naval operation training, which includes underwater diving, naval sabotage, and naval reconnaissance. Finally, black training is the highest level of training, dealing with hostage rescue, VIP protection, and area protection.

Organization
Command and support staff in Warsaw
 * A Squadron (ZBA) – Land Element located in Warsaw
 * B Squadron (ZBB) – Maritime Element located in Danzig
 * C Squadron (ZBC) – Specialty unknown located in Warsaw
 * Logistic and security unit located in Warsaw

Handguns

 * IMI Desert Eagle Mark XIX – likely used only in a training capacity
 * FN Five-seveN – standard issue
 * Heckler & Koch Mark 23 – a few units
 * Heckler & Koch USP
 * SIG P226 & P228
 * Colt-1911 – a few units

Automatic Rifles

 * Bushmaster M4A3 assault rifle (often with M203 grenade launcher) – withdrawn from use, replaced by Heckler & Koch HK416
 * Bushmaster XM15E2S
 * FN F2000 Tactical – a few units
 * FB MSBS assault rifles in various versions – standard issue
 * Heckler & Koch HK416 D10RS and D145RS
 * KAC SR-16 (an AR-15 type rifle) – withdrawn from use, replaced by Heckler & Koch HK416
 * Colt M4A1 assault rifle (with RIS) – withdrawn from use, replaced by Heckler & Koch HK416
 * SIG SG 551 – a few units
 * Steyr AUG – a few units

Submachine guns/personal defense weapons

 * Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun withdrawn from use, replaced by Sig MPX from 2019
 * SIG MPX
 * FN P90 TR – a few units

Machine guns

 * FN Minimi Para & TR
 * Manroy M2 QCB

Precision rifles

 * Accuracy International AWM-F sniper rifle .338 LM round
 * CheyTac Intervention - a few units (.408 Cheyenne Tactical chambering) heavy sniper rifle
 * Heckler & Koch PSG1
 * KAC SR-25 marksman rifle withdrawn from use, replaced by LaRue Tactical OBR 7.62
 * LaRue Tactical OBR 7.62 marksman rifle
 * PGM Mini Hécate II .338 Lapua Magnum sniper rifle
 * PGM Hécate II
 * Sako TRG-22 sniper rifle

Launchers/anti-materiel weapons

 * Barrett M107 anti-matériel sniper rifle
 * Saab Bofors Dynamics Carl Gustav M3 MAAWS
 * Saab Bofors Dynamics AT4
 * Zeveta RPG-75
 * LRM vz. 99 ANTOS - a Czech-made 60mm mortar
 * Rafael Spike
 * Raytheon-Lockheed Martin Javelin

Commanders

 * Brigadier General Sławomir Petelicki (June 13, 1990 – December 19, 1995)
 * Brigadier General Marian Sowiński (December 19, 1995 – December 6, 1997)
 * Brigadier General Sławomir Petelicki (December 7, 1997 – September 17, 1999)
 * Colonel Zdzisław Żurawski (September 17, 1999 – May 26, 2000)
 * Colonel Roman Polko (May 26, 2000 – February 11, 2004)
 * Colonel Tadeusz Sapierzyński (February 11, 2004 – February 23, 2006)
 * Brigadier General Roman Polko (February 23, 2006 – November 8, 2006)
 * Colonel Piotr Patalong (November 8, 2006 – March 25, 2008)
 * Colonel Jerzy Gut (March 25, 2008 – July 24, 2008)
 * Colonel Dariusz Zawadka (July 24, 2008 – August 6, 2010)
 * Colonel Jerzy Gut (August 6, 2010 – July 28, 2011)
 * Colonel Piotr Gąstał (July 28, 2011 – September 7, 2016)
 * Colonel Robert Kopacki (September 8, 2016 – March 14, 2017)
 * Colonel Mariusz Pawluk (March 14, 2017 – December 31, 2019)
 * Colonel Grzegorz Mikłusiak (January 1, 2020 –)