Foreign Intelligence Agency Establishment of the Foreign Intelligence Agency - The creation of the Foreign Intelligence Agency

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The creation of the Foreign Intelligence Agency

Establishment of the Foreign Intelligence Agency

Serving Poland in the shadows

The Foreign Intelligence Agency (AW) started its activity on June 29, 2002 as a result of an official separation of civil intelligence from the structures of the closed Office for State Protection (UOP), which had been in operation since 1990. It was established under the Act of May 24, 2002 on the Internal Security Agency and the Foreign Intelligence Agency, the act which also defined its tasks in the field of state external security protection and regulated the principles of work and internal functioning. In this way, the intelligence became an independent institution of the administration of the Republic of Poland, subordinate to the Prime Minister, and the status of its Head was raised to ministerial rank.

The formal separation of the intelligence was facilitated by its considerable autonomy in the structures of the Office for State Protection. Due to a separate philosophy of work of this service – which was operating abroad – from the very beginning, the Board of Intelligence of the Office for State Protection had separate objectives and tasks, the way of functioning and organization incomparable to other boards and offices, which was manifested by it having its own staff (including recruitment), finances, technology, as well as separate internal instructions. The transfer of the Board of Intelligence in the mid-90s the XX century from Rakowiecka Street to the edifice at Miłobędzka Street additionally marked and consolidated its distinctiveness. Thanks to the new headquarters with full ICT infrastructure and a separate training centre for staff, it was possible to transform it quite efficiently in 2002. The Office for State Protection’s Intelligence Board was transformed into a new structure – the Foreign Intelligence Agency.

Zbigniew Siemiątkowski became the first Head of the Foreign Intelligence Agency. He completed his mission in May 2004, when his deputy Colonel Andrzej Derlatka became the acting Head of the Foreign Intelligence Agency and fulfilled this function until August 2004. Andrzej Ananicz became the next Head of the Foreign Intelligence Agency (in 2004-2005). In November 2005, Colonel Zbigniew Nowek was appointed as the Head. Then, in March 2008, A. Ananicz returned to the position of the acting Head of the Foreign Intelligence Agency. Three months later, in June 2008 he was replaced by Brigadier General Maciej Hunia. In November 2015, Colonel Grzegorz Małecki became the acting Head of the Foreign Intelligence Agency, who three months later was appointed the Head of the Agency. Colonel G. Małecki resigned in September 2016. Prime Minister Beata Szydło entrusted the performance of duties of the Head of the Foreign Intelligence Agency to his former deputy Piotr Krawczyk, and on 28 December 2016 she appointed him Head of the Agency. He held this position until 8 August 2022, when Col. Bartosz Jarmuszkiewicz was appointed Head of the Foreign Intelligence Agency. Then, on 19 December 2023, the Prime Minister Donald Tusk entrusted the performance of the duties of the Head of the Foreign Intelligence Agency Colonel Paweł Szota, and on 5 March 2024 he appointed Colonel. P. Szota to the position of Head of the Agency.

Since the establishment of the Foreign Intelligence Agency in 2002 the structure of the institution has undergone transformations imposed by the need to increase its effectiveness in response to new challenges for the Republic of Poland generated by the dynamics of the international situation.