Warsaw dismisses Polish Eurocorps commander citing probe

The Polish commander of the Eurocorps military unit has been recalled by the Polish Defense Ministry amid a counter-intelligence investigation into his security clearance.

Lieutenant General Jaroslaw Gromadzinski had been serving as commander of Eurocorps, a joint military group of some EU and NATO states, since June 2023, but has been ordered back to Warsaw.

"The Military Counter-Intelligence Service initiated inspection proceedings regarding the personal security clearance of Lieutenant General Jaroslaw Gromadzinski in connection with obtaining new information about the officer," read a ministry statement on Wednesday.

It said another officer has already been assigned to "ensure continuity" in the post "with immediate effect."

Lieutenant General Gromadzinski had previously commanded Poland's 18th Mechanized Division in Iraq.

In recent months, he had been serving as part of the international assistance team for Ukraine in Wiesbaden, Germany, where he was involved in the training of Ukrainian soldiers.

What is Eurocorps?

Eurocorps is a multi-national European military unit composed of personnel from 11 nations: "participating members" Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Poland and Spain, and "associated members" Austria, Greece, Italy, Romania and Turkey.

The Eurocorps has its origins in the Franco-German Brigade which was founded in 1989 as part of French and German efforts to strengthen European defense integration.

Based in the French city of Strasbourg, Eurocorp formations are authorized to take part in United Nations (UN) and NATO evacuation missions, humanitarian missions, peacekeeping and crisis management.

It has recently taken part in peacekeeping and troop training missions in Mali and the Central African Republic.

In 2004, it was deployed to Afghanistan.

mf/wd (Reuters, AFP)