Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz called the appointment “great news for Poland” and said Molenda would play a key role in strengthening cybersecurity within the alliance.
“This is confirmation that the capabilities built by the Polish armed forces in digital transformation are highly valued within NATO structures,” Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote on X on Monday.
Molenda said he accepted the role as both an honor and an obligation.
“I take this choice as an honor, but even more as a commitment,” he wrote on X, adding that he saw it "above all as recognition for the soldiers and experts who build the Polish military’s cyber capabilities every day."
“More challenges lie ahead. I am ready to take them on with full commitment, serving Poland and strengthening the security of the alliance,” he said.
Molenda has commanded Poland’s Cyber Defense Force since 2022. Earlier, he served as director of the National Cybersecurity Center and as the defense minister’s representative for the creation of the Cyber Defense Force.
He also has more than a decade of experience in Poland’s Military Counterintelligence Service, including as head of cyber counterintelligence, computer security and digital forensics, as well as deputy director for cyber security.
Molenda was promoted to brigadier general in 2019 and major general in 2023. He studied electronics and telecommunications at the Military University of Technology (WAT) in Warsaw and later completed postgraduate MBA studies there, along with postgraduate studies in classified information protection and information security administration.
He has also received the US Defense Department’s Army Commendation Medal for his contribution to cyber counterintelligence.
(jh/gs)
Source: PAP