KGHM is starting cooperation with the Territorial Defense Force

KGHM has signed a letter of intent to cooperate with the Territorial Defense Force (TDF) - the company and the TDF are planning joint communication projects and defense training. The agreement also provides for the cooperation of instructors and promotional activities regarding military service.

“Defense-related matters and security concerns are key issues these days, including for KGHM. It is worth noting that our employees are among the soldiers of the Territorial Defense Force. This cooperation, on the one hand, gives us new development prospects, and on the other hand, concerns core values and ethics. We support those for whom the security of fellow citizens is a commitment as well as a mission,” said Tomasz Zdzikot, the CEO of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A.

“The signing of the agreement with KGHM is a continuation of the cooperation and implementation of tasks carried out by the Territorial Defense Force in the area of building universal national defense readiness. The cooperation between the TDF and KGHM will primarily focus on training. It will also include the exchange of experience and, in particular, building awareness in the context of threats to the company’s strategic infrastructure,” said Colonel Krzysztof Stańczyk, the acting Commander of the Territorial Defense Force.

The purpose of the letter of intent is to cooperate with the aim of strengthening the defense capabilities of the Republic of Poland and to provide promotional support for the activities of the Territorial Defense Force. Among other things, the parties will cooperate in the training of TDF units with KGHM departments. The plans include security-related activities, including those involving emergency medical services. The company and the TDF will also jointly organize and participate in ceremonies and educational projects for the benefit of local communities.

Recently, KGHM has also started cooperation with the Cyberspace Defense Forces and the Center of Foreign Missions Veterans.

KGHM mines copper ores and other valuable metals in underground mines, with deposits located as deep as 1,000 meters below the ground level. The mined material is supplied to the company’s smelters and processing plants. Safety is KGHM’s priority and core value with regard to its employees, the environment, as well as the residents of the Copper Belt. The company promotes a culture of safe work based on employee training and implementation of innovative technologies and safety management systems.

KGHM is also involved in local initiatives related to the promotion of volunteerism or pro-social initiatives, including in the area of safety, for the residents of the Copper Belt and all of Poland. Already in October of this year, KGHM and the Veteran Center organized a Peace Run in the Copper Belt to mark the 70th anniversary of the first participation of the Polish Armed Forces in international missions, in which more than 120,000 military personnel and soldiers have taken part to date.

The Territorial Defense Force is the fifth branch of the Armed Forces alongside the Army, the Air Force, the Navy, and the Special Forces. They were established on January 1, 2017. The mission of the TDF is to defend and support local communities. The tasks of the TDF derive directly from that mission. In wartime, the main task of the TDF is to cooperate with operational forces, while in peacetime it is to support crisis management operations, including countering and eliminating the consequences of natural disasters. Due to the territorial nature of the TDF, including the need to serve in their area of their residence, the soldiers of this military branch call themselves Territorials.

The branch is developing rapidly all the time. The soldiers are currently training as part of eighteen territorial defense brigades. Three new TDF brigades were formed in 2022: the 18th Capital City Brigade, the 19th Bug River Brigade, and the 20th Przemyśl Brigade. The following institutions are directly subordinated to the TDF Headquarters: the TDF Training Center in Toruń, the Communications and Information Technology Center in Zegrze, and the Non-Commissioned Officers’ School SONDA. The TDF bases its potential on volunteer soldiers who, when joining its ranks, do not have to give up their previous activities. An innovative three-year training system has been implemented for the training of TDF soldiers, which is structured so as to make it possible to reconcile personal and professional life with military service.