Piotr Nić new commander of the Marine Operations Centre

Vice Admiral Piotr Nieć was appointed as Commander of the Centre for Maritime Operations – Commander of the Marine Component. He replaced Vice-Admiral Krzysztof Jaworski as Deputy Commander General of the Armed Forces. This is one of the most important personnel changes in the Polish Navy in recent years.

Amendment to position of Commander COM-DKM

On 3 June 2026, by decision of the Minister of National Defence, Deputy Admiral Piotr Nieć was appointed Commander of the Centre for Maritime Operations – Commander of the Marine Component. According to information published after staff changes in the Polish Army, he took the position on 5 June, replacing Deputy Admiral Krzysztof Jaworski, who was appointed Deputy Commander General of the Armed Forces.

Centre for Marine Operations – Marine Component Command is responsible for commanding separate forces Navy, as well as the forces of other types of troops carrying out maritime activities in times of peace, crisis and war. The COM-DKM also coordinates the ongoing activities of the task forces in the responsibility zone of the commander of the marine component.

Officer with maritime and allied experience

Deputy Admiral Piotr Nieć belongs to the officers of the Polish Navy with a lot of commanding experience. He is a graduate of the Naval Academy in Gdynia and the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. He also completed postgraduate studies in maritime management and command and postgraduate Defence Policy Studies at U.S. Naval War College in Newport.

In his previous service, he commanded among others the frigate of the ORP Gen. K. Pulaski, the Battleship Squadron of the 3rd Fleet Ship and the 8th Coast Defense Fleet. In 2019, he was appointed to the rank of Rear Admiral.

Vice Admiral Piotr Nieć also has experience gained in international structures. He served as Deputy Commander of the CTF Baltic in Rostock and Deputy Operations Commander of the Types of Armed Forces. During the service he also participated in NATO OCEAN SHIELD and ACTIVE EREAVOUR operations. He was also associated with George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, where he served as a military professor in the area strategic security.

Meaning for the Baltic and NATO

The acquisition of COM-DKM command by Vice Admiral Niecia is not only national. His previous experience in alliance structures is important at a time when the Baltic remains one of the most important areas of NATO activity in North Europe.

CTF Baltic is responsible for planning and commanding allied exercises and operations in the Baltic Sea. In this context, safety and security activities are important critical infrastructure and building situational awareness at sea.

COM-DKM before an important phase

The Centre for Maritime Operations is now at an important moment of development. In the COM-DKM structure, preparations are underway to create POLMARFOR, which is to create Poland the opportunity to take over in 2028 the role of NATO's regional naval command in the Baltic.

From this perspective, the appointment of Vice-Admiral Piotr Niecia means entrusting the COM-DKM officer, who combines experience with ship decks, commanding tactical unions and working in allied structures. This is important at a time when Baltic security, port security, cable security, pipelines and maritime transport lines remain one of the most important tasks in the Polish Navy.

The editorial of the Shipyard Portal congratulates Vice Admiral Piotr Nieci on taking the position of Commander of the Centre for Maritime Operations – Commander of the Marine Component and wishes success in the implementation of new tasks for the Polish Navy and the security of the state from the maritime direction.