18th Reconnaissance Regiment (Template:Lang-pl) is a unit of the Polish Land Forces and is based in Białystok. It was formed from the former 18th Territorial Defense Battalion, which in turn was the former 18th Mechanized Brigade. It is the most recently formed unit of the Polish army, and one of the army's three reconnaissance regiments in the Polish army.[1]
History
On 23 April 2009 the Polish Minister of National Defense, Bogdan Klich announced that the 18th Territorial Defense Battalion would be reorganized to create a reconnaissance regiment no later than 30June 2009. The 18th Reconnaissance Regiment was formed on 1July 2009.[2]
On 15 October 2009 the Minister of National Defense authorized the 18th Reconnaissance Regiment to use the standard of the 18th Territorial Defense Battalion until 15August 2010.[3]
On 11 November 2010, representatives of the 18th Reconnaissance Regiment, on behalf of the Minister of National Defense Bogdan Klich, paid tribute at the grave of the late ordinaryorthodox archbishop of the Polish ArmyMiron Chodakowski. The delegation was composed of the regimental commander Lieutenant Colonal Chris Lenkiewicz, Major Slawomir Ratyński and Captain Jan Busłowicz. The ceremony took place in the crypt church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary located in Supraśl, near Bialystok.[4]
On 30 June 2011, the regiment received its regimental standard from Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski at a ceremony in Kosciuszko Square, Białystok before the monument to Marshal Józef Piłsudski.[5]
Regimental standard
The new standard bears the national colors and emblem, and also expresses the symbolic elements associated with the Bialystok coat of arms and contains commemorative badges of merit from the military units formerly stationed there:[1]
18th Territorial Defense Battalion and prior the former 18th Mechanized Brigade
^Dziennik Urzędowy Ministra Obrony Narodowej. 2009.
^Decyzja Nr 309/MON Ministra Obrony Narodowej z dnia 7 września 2009 r. w sprawie czasowego używania sztandaru 18. batalionu obrony terytorialnej przez 18. pułk rozpoznawczy (Dz. U. MON Nr 17 z 30 września 2009 r., poz. 195).
Poland
