Defence24 Days 2025: Security Eagle Awards Presented

The Security Eagles were handed out at the gala accompanying the Defence24 Days 2025 conference, held in Warsaw at the Hilton Warsaw City hotel.

This year saw the introduction of a new category: Institution of the Year.

The award in this new category went to the Armament Agency, in recognition of its exceptional contribution to strengthening the Polish Armed Forces and Poland’s national security. The statuette was presented to Brig. Gen. Artur Kuptel, Head of the Armament Agency, by Jędrzej Graf, Editor in Chief of Defence24.pl.

Under Brig. Gen. Kuptel’s leadership, the Armament Agency swiftly overcame a long standing impasse in the technical modernization of the Armed Forces - for that it received the award. It accelerated the initiation and implementation of military procurement and armament programs, enabling a generational equipment upgrade and bolstering the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland amid the unprecedented security challenges posed by Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine.

In 2024 alone, the Armament Agency signed over 120 contracts worth more than PLN 140 billion, while the total value of the more than 450 agreements it manages exceeds PLN 550 billion—significant portions of which have been allocated to Polish industry. Delivering orders of such scale and complexity under intense pressure is a cornerstone of enhancing the capabilities of the Polish Armed Forces.

In the Product Development category for the Polish defence industry, the award went to WB Group for the PERAD radio station. The statuette was presented by Stanisław Wziątek, Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of National Defence. The PERAD radio is Poland’s first personal communications system with a domestically developed cryptographic module, certified for handling classified information. Developed under the Integrated Individual Fighting System (“Tytan”) program, PERAD is software defined and ensures secure, covert communications even in environments contested by enemy electronic warfare and reconnaissance assets. It forms the foundation of secure national communications at the elemental level in the Polish Armed Forces and interoperates with systems such as the FlyEye UAV and the Topaz Fire Control System.

The Most Innovative Product award went to PIT RADWAR S.A. (part of the Polish Armaments Group) for the SAJNA multifunctional fire control radar. The statuette was presented by Konrad Gołota, Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of State Assets. SAJNA is designed for integration into the Wisła/Narew Air Defence System as a target detection and fire control station for the short range NAREW missile systems. It can detect and track aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, and various rocket, artillery, and mortar projectiles out to the maximum instrumental range of 180 km. Equipped with an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) antenna, it is optimized for low altitude target detection and offers high mobility. SAJNA is a key pillar of Poland’s domestically built integrated air and missile defence architecture.

In the Border Defence Support Product category, TELBUD S.A. was honored for its ARGUS PISM software. ARGUS PISM supports the protection of Poland’s borders with Russia and Belarus, aggregating and coordinating data from thousands of heterogeneous sensors, with AI powered analytics. Its deployment has significantly enhanced the efficiency of the Polish Armed Forces and Border Guard in countering hybrid threats on the Polish Belarusian border. ARGUS PISM remains fully under national control and is designed for integration with future capabilities, including counter UAS measures. The system’s requirements are aligned with the National Deterrence and Defence Program “Shield East.”

In the logistics and support category, a distinction was awarded to the company REKORD Hale Namiotowe (Tent Halls), which supplies modular tent structures to the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland. Rekord provides the Armed Forces with various types of logistics support solutions, including, among others, specialized tent halls that allow for the secure storage of equipment in different locations even before permanent infrastructure has been completed. These tent halls are also used in the expansion of military units and training grounds, enabling a significantly faster training process compared to the construction of permanent facilities. Rekord Tent Halls operates with great flexibility, responding to the rapidly changing needs of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland.

The special award for shaping awareness of international security was presented to Professor Andrew A. Michta; the distinction was handed over by Piotr Małecki, President of the Management Board of Defence24.pl. Since the 1990s, Professor Michta has been deeply engaged in analyzing and popularizing the subject of transatlantic relations, with particular emphasis on the security environment of Central and Eastern Europe—including Poland—and the threat posed by the Russian Federation. For over two decades, he has conducted research and analytical work aimed at fostering a better understanding of the risks faced by the transatlantic community’s member states in Russia’s immediate neighborhood, reaching key decision making and expert circles on both sides of the Atlantic.

Professor Michta’s work encompasses not only military political dimensions but also economic and social aspects necessary for building Europe’s security in alliance with the United States. Over his distinguished career, he has served, among other roles, as Dean of the College of International and Security Studies at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch Partenkirchen, Germany, and as the founding Director of the Warsaw office of the German Marshall Fund. Currently a senior fellow at the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council, Professor Andrew A. Michta remains strongly committed to strengthening the foundations of transatlantic relations essential for preserving security and peace in Europe and the United States.

During this year’s Defence24 Days Gala, the Public Service Eagle award was also presented. The 2024 Public Service Eagle was awarded to Aspirant Paweł Piśkiewicz—a 42 year old father of five, a devoted husband, and a career police officer. In August 2023, while on holiday at the seaside, he saved the lives of two people: a boy with a disability and his father. He became a hero and changed the fate of a family from Silesia whom he had never met before. The Public Service Eagle is granted as part of a joint initiative by Defence24 Days and the “Grow Up with Us” Foundation [Dorastaj z Nami]. It recognizes a soldier or officer of one of Poland’s public services who, during or after their service, has demonstrated exceptional heroism and courage in their actions on behalf of others.