NATO Command System and Air Policing in the Polish Airspace

Objectives: The article presents the NATO command structure with particular emphasis on the units responsible for command and control in the Polish airspace. The structure was described at three levels of command: strategic, operational and the tactical level. Moreover, the article also presents the issues concerning sovereignty in the space of the Republic of Poland and the cooperation of civil and military services in relation to the aircraft, which in an unauthorised manner crossed the state air border. Methods: Scientific methods used in the paper are: analysis and criticism of written sources, analysis and logical construction. Results: The article presents the structures of commands responsible for protection and defence of the airspace of NATO countries, their brief characteristics, command relationships and interdependencies between them and the main assumptions and objectives of the Air Policing mission, as well as the principles of implementation of this mission in the Polish airspace Conclusions: The main purpose of NATO's activities is to protect its member states, as a basis for preserving peace and strengthening international security. The organisational structures of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, based on three levels of command, are able to ensure the security of all 30 countries belonging to the alliance. The Polish airspace command system is fully compatible and integrated with the NATO system and in constant readiness to carry out combat missions, including the Air Policing Mission.