In a decree published in Monitor Polski on the evening of 25 September, President Andrzej Duda authorised the temporary use of Polish Army units to support the Border Guard along selected land frontiers until 31 December 2026. The order cites “persistent migratory pressure” on the borders with Germany and Lithuania and rising security concerns linked to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Although troop numbers were not disclosed, defence officials told parliament that approximately 2,000 soldiers would be assigned to joint patrols, rapid-response teams and the installation of mobile surveillance towers. The deployment mirrors a similar arrangement in 2025, when military engineers erected 186 km of temporary fencing on the Belarus border. From a global mobility perspective, the presence of uniformed personnel can slow commercial traffic as mixed patrols add additional layers of document verification. Logistics associations have already asked the government to issue clear guidelines on priority lanes for perishable goods and “trusted carrier” programmes for AEO-certified firms. The decree also empowers soldiers to use police powers—including identity checks and temporary detention—within a 15-kilometre strip of the frontier. Multinational companies with facilities in Gdańsk, Poznań and Wrocław that rely on German commuter labour should alert staff to carry passports as national ID cards may be subject to extra scrutiny when crossing the internal Schengen border. Legal scholars say the measure is compatible with Schengen rules on temporary border control re-introduction but stress that periodic proportionality reviews are mandatory. The Interior Ministry must report to the Sejm every 60 days, a schedule that could see the mission scaled back—or extended—early next year.
