ROCZNIKI NAUK SPOŁECZNYCH DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18290/rns.2019.47.1-8 AGNIESZKA ZARĘBA VII ROTATION OF POLISH MILITARY CONTINGENT IN AFGHANISTAN FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF POLISH SOLDIERS Poland as a state has participated in peace operations since 1953. These have been arbitration, humanitarian, observation and police operations within the framework of the United Nations (UN), the European Communities (EC), the European Union (EU), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). In general, most of them have been stabilisation missions which have not carried out military operations. 1 Only in 2003, NATO’s operations changed the nature of the activi- ties of previously peace-keeping missions. They have affected, among others, the soldier training process in the Polish Army (WP). The Polish Military Contingent in Afghanistan started its operation within the framework of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) created on 20.12.2001. Its goal was to promote security in Afghanistan and to protect the United Nations Support Mission in this territory. On 11.08.2003 NATO took the lead of ISAF. 2 Among the tasks entrusted to ISAF, one can mention, among others: stabilisation operations in cooperation with the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), building of combat capability of the Afghan National Army Dr AGNIESZKA ZARĘBA – Institute of Political Science and Public Administration, John Paul II Catholic University in Lublin; address for correspondence: Al. Racławickie 14, 20-950 Lublin; e-mail: amzareba@vp.pl; ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1639-0413 1 In order to become familiar with the activities of Polish stabilization missions, see e.g.: Grze- gorz Ciechanowski, Żołnierze polscy w misjach i operacjach pokojowych poza granicami kraju w latach 1953-1989 (Toruń: Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek, 2009), 377; Grzegorz Ciechanowski, Polskie Kontyngenty Wojskowe w operacjach pokojowych 1990-1999 (Toruń: Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek, 2010), 382; Grzegorz Ciechanowski, Wojsko Polskie w Iraku 2003-2011 (Oświęcim: Napoleon V, 2015), 425. 2 Joanna Modrzejewska-Leśniewska, Afganistan (Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Trio, 2010), 425-453. Tom 11(47), numer 1 – 2019