Gen. Roman Polko, a former head of Poland’s National Security Bureau (BBN), said in an interview published on Monday that “it would be good if countries such as Germany or France became more involved in NATO's cohesion, not to mention increasing its defence capabilities.”
He agreed that various remarks critical of NATO recently made by German and French politicians, including President Emmanuel Macron, "are in practice weakening" the Western military alliance.
Polko’s comments, published by Poland’s Do Rzeczy weekly, came after the US ambassador to Warsaw this month proposed a greater potential role for Poland in NATO’s nuclear deterrence “if Germany wants to diminish nuclear capability."
The parliamentary leader of Germany's Social Democrats (SPD), a junior government coalition partner, earlier this month reportedly called for the withdrawal of all US nuclear weapons from Germany.
‘Impose your own narrative’
Polko, who formerly commanded Poland’s GROM special forces unit, was also asked in the interview if Poland could expect to “win an information war in cyberspace” against Russia.
He said: “Our problem is that we are still on the defensive. And an information war can only be won if you take the initiative and impose your own narrative.”
He added: “Battles are not won by being defensive, but by going on the offensive … if Russia is using fake news today to shape public opinion in Poland, to create chaos, we should work to produce a similar effect in the opposite direction—by building Polish centres of influence to support our own narrative.”
Polko also asserted in the interview that “Russia cannot afford an open conflict today.”
(gs/pk)
Source: Do Rzeczy