Peace is never given once and for all, and war is basically always the same. Only its manifestations change. The end of the Cold War, intensified efforts to extinguish local and regional conflicts, progressing globalization processes, strengthening interdependencies between states and societies, an attempt to strengthen international law and other ongoing processes suggested that a new quality of international relations was taking shape, where the use of military force in foreign policy becomes anachronism. There was hope that armed conflicts would be marginalized and that developed countries would stop reaching for the military factor, especially in mutual relations. In the conditions of a kind of "peace dictate" of powers, the war was to become a relic of the past, for which would only sporadically reach countries with a low level of socio-economic development. The concept of a "world without wars" quickly collapsed. The events of the beginning of the 21st century have shown that there is no place in the world that is completely free of military threat. There are still many unresolved conflicts in the world. Numerous conflict-causing factors also persist and even intensify. Among them is the clash of civilizations, mainly caused by seemingly unsolvable ideological - religious and cultural conflicts; internationalized internal conflicts that break out locally for a variety of reasons, including those motivated by reviving aggressive nationalism, chauvinism, xenophobia, racism and religious fundamentalism; the growing importance of international criminal organizations which, in striving to maximize profits, employ all means, including the use of armed force on a large scale; the growing competition between the superpowers that want to win the best place for themselves in the changing international system; increasing social and economic inequalities, demographic problems, hunger and poverty; epidemics; depleting natural resources, access to water; internal and regional political instability; state indebtedness and turbulence in the financial markets; increased competition in cyberspace. Accordingly, countries and international organizations must be prepared for all scenarios, including high-intensity armed conflicts. We must also keep in mind the increasing participation in international military relations of non-state entities, including international corporations of various types. Money has always been needed to wage war, and for some actors it is the best way to earn money.

Today, we observe rapid changes, not only political, but also economic, social or cultural, which affect the security and defense of states. A potential source of instability for our region is the situation in Ukraine and the Southern Caucasus, which are perceived by the Russian Federation as a zone of ​​influence. Although the situation in Eastern Europe is the main source of threats to Poland's defense, we also see serious problems related to the deep, multi-faceted crisis at the southern borders of the North Atlantic Alliance. The armed forces remain the basic tool ensuring the security of states and citizens. A modern army must be flexible and respond to increasingly diverse threats. Future defense tasks will be fulfilled not only on the traditional battlefield, but also in cyberspace and outer space. The potential of the armed forces is related to the general condition of the state, its economic situation and the standard of living of society.

The Polish Army consists of: Navy, Air Force, Land Forces, Special Forces and Territorial Defense Forces. An important condition for their effectiveness is the ability to cooperate in a joint operation of operating and territorial defense forces. The premise of the establishment of the Territorial Defense Forces was to create a formation that would, in conditions of threat of war, saturate the combat environment throughout the country and support operating forces, so that they could focus their efforts on fighting the largest enemy groups in major directions. These troops also have an important role to play in emergency situations below the threshold of war, including in anti-diversionary defense. In addition, in peacetime, their mission is to support the national crisis management system. It is necessary to consider whether the development directions of the TDF and other types of armed forces are optimal. The battlefield is becoming more dynamic because the exchange of fire is more intense. Therefore, the armed forces must have not only specialized soldiers, and trained operational procedures, but also modern equipment with high potential, including those that do not require direct human control. In this situation, the strong and consistently modernized the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland constitute an essential instrument for defending our borders and building allied credibility. The effective defense requires cooperation of the army with other entities, including entrepreneurs as well as pro-defense organizations and associations. Cooperation between the army and other services, including the Police and the State Fire Service, is of particular importance. Joint training, exchange of information on crisis management and provision of military facilities and equipment are just some examples of this cooperation. In addition, convoys and air transport - these are the areas where military assistance proves invaluable to other services. Purchases of modern armaments and military equipment, strengthening the presence of US troops and other allies in Poland, and increasing the army size - these are just some of the priority directions for the Polish authorities. It is also important to strengthen regional military cooperation, including the Baltic Sea basin and the Visegrad Group.

Bydgoszcz is a special place to initiate an academic and specialist debate on the issues of political and military aspects of security in the 21st century. There are many scientific centers, including Kazimierz Wielki University. Above all, however, it is informally called the "Polish capital of NATO". This is due to the fact that the city hosts many important institutions of the North Atlantic Alliance, i.e. the Joint Force Training Centre, NATO Force Integration Unit, 3rd NATO Signal Battalion, Military Police Centre of Excellence, and the NATO Communications and Information Agency Support Unit. National military institutions also have their headquarters in Bydgoszcz, including the Inspectorate of Armed Forces Support, the Doctrine and Training Centre of the Polish Armed Forces and the 1st Pomeranian Logistics Brigade. Bydgoszcz is a city with centuries-old military traditions, which was recorded in its coat of arms, in the form of a defensive wall and towers. In more recent history, the military heritage was maintained within the Pomeranian Military District that had existed for decades.