This article is a part of Poland Unpacked. Weekly intelligence for decision-makers
An unexpected resignation has shaken Poland’s National Security Bureau (BBN). Professor Sławomir Cenckiewicz has left his post at the helm of what is often dubbed the “president’s defense ministry.” What might have driven this change – and what does it signal for relations between the Presidential Chancellery and the prime minister’s office?
The resignation comes as a surprise. Just days ago, the Supreme Administrative Court (NSA) dismissed an appeal against a lower court’s ruling concerning his security clearance. At the time, Professor Cenckiewicz appeared to have prevailed. Yet he has now stepped down. He outlined his reasons in a statement published on his X (formerly Twitter) account.
“In view of the unlawful actions of Donald Tusk’s government, which disregards final court rulings and groundlessly strips me of my right to access classified information, I submitted my resignation from the position of Secretary of State and Head of the National Security Bureau to President Karol Nawrocki on April 22, 2026,” Professor Cenckiewicz wrote.
He added that he would “continue to support the President in an entirely different role.” His successor – initially in an acting capacity – will be General Andrzej Kowalski. Mr. Cenckiewicz expressed his support for him and for all BBN staff, thanking them and wishing them well.
Prof. Cenckiewicz resigns; General Kowalski to take over
Intriguingly, rumors that Professor Cenckiewicz might part ways with the top job at the BBN had been circulating since the autumn of last year. Sources speaking to XYZ suggested at the time that he risked becoming more of a reputational liability for the president than an asset.
The core issue was his security clearance. One source described it as a “Schrödinger clearance”: in theory, Sławomir Cenckiewicz did not hold one, yet in practice he could still access classified information.
Now, Professor Cenckiewicz has stepped down – at the very moment when the Supreme Administrative Court found that the decision to revoke his clearance had been flawed. For the now former head of the BBN, it appeared a moment of vindication. He spoke of victory and called for the dismissal of the head of the Military Counterintelligence Service (SKW), General Jarosław Stróżyk. Just over a week later, however, Sławomir Cenckiewicz resigned.
Why? We sought to contact him for comment, but he limited himself to referring us to his statement on X.
A Pyrrhic victory? Prof. Cenckiewicz unlikely to regain clearance
It is worth noting that even if the Supreme Administrative Court (NSA) challenged the manner in which the Military Counterintelligence Service (SKW) issued its decision to revoke his clearance, it most likely did not question the substance of that decision.
In practice, this would have meant that Professor Cenckiewicz would have had to undergo the vetting process again. It is hard to imagine SKW granting him clearance, given his previous clashes with the service – personal disputes with its current leadership, a protracted saga over the revocation of his clearance, and a court battle to regain it, accompanied by media leaks from both sides.
What is more, the procedure would now have fallen to the Internal Security Agency (ABW). Yet as recently as April 15 – the day of the NSA court ruling – the ABW sent a letter to the Presidential Chancellery stating clearly that Professor Cenckiewicz did not hold a security clearance and could not access classified information, except on a one-off basis.
The matter would thus have been handled by the civilian counterintelligence service, the ABW. Given that prosecutors have brought charges against Professor Cenckiewicz (which he himself has described as entirely unfounded), it is highly likely that he would not have been granted clearance.
That, in turn, could have prolonged a political standoff. The ABW would most likely have refused to issue clearance, creating significant reputational risks abroad. While foreign partners might have overlooked the absence of clearance from one counterintelligence agency, two refusals would have raised too many questions and doubts.
The former BBN head sharply criticizes Viktor Orbán
There is another factor worth considering. After Viktor Orbán’s electoral defeat in Hungary, Professor Cenckiewicz published a pointed post, sharply criticizing the Law and Justice (PiS) narrative of support for the former Hungarian prime minister.
“Recordings of conversations between the Hungarian prime minister and the foreign minister with Putin and Lavrov, recently disclosed (possibly obtained by an intelligence service), exemplify all of this. Downplaying this on Poland’s anti-Russian right was a mistake (to put it mildly),” the former head of the BBN wrote at the time.
For PiS politicians, many of whom had strongly backed Mr. Orbán, this may have been hard to swallow. Did it contribute to Professor Cenckiewicz’s departure? It certainly did little to win him friends on Poland’s right.
Who is the successor
General Andrzej Kowalski, who will take over the post, is an intelligence officer and a long-serving member of both the now-defunct Office for State Protection (UOP) and the Military Intelligence Service (SWW). Adding an intriguing twist, as head of the SWW he was once the superior of General Jarosław Stróżyk, the current chief of the Military Counterintelligence Service (SKW).
According to sources close to the services, General Kowalski is regarded as a capable and intelligent officer. Unlike Professor Cenckiewicz, he holds a valid security clearance. That alone may, at least temporarily, ease tensions between the Presidential Chancellery and the prime minister’s office. It was, after all, the latter – often referred to as the “Small Palace” – that ultimately refused to approve a clearance for Sławomir Cenckiewicz.
It is also worth noting that on the day the Supreme Administrative Court issued its ruling on his clearance, news emerged that President Karol Nawrocki had signed commissions appointing young Internal Security Agency (ABW) officers to their first officer rank. A few weeks earlier, he had taken the same step with junior officers of the SKW. For months, his refusal to sign had been a major point of contention in relations between the president and the government. Those close to the matter suggested at the time that Sławomir Cenckiewicz himself had played a significant role in blocking the nominations.
His resignation may therefore amount to a form of compromise. Despite a (seemingly) favorable outcome in his clash with the SKW, Mr. Cenckiewicz has stepped down of his own accord – neither dismissed nor formally removed. This creates the impression that his departure marks the end of a chapter rather than a forced exit.
For now, however, it appears that in the standoff between the president and the government, the latter has gained the upper hand. What this means for the already fraught cooperation between the two centers of power remains to be seen.
Key Takeaways
- Sławomir Cenckiewicz has stepped down as head of the National Security Bureau. This may signal at least a temporary easing of tensions in relations between the government and the president.
- His decision is most likely linked to the issue of security clearance issued by either military or civilian counterintelligence. The recent ruling by the Supreme Administrative Court, which upheld the lower (provincial) court’s judgment, did not in fact restore his clearance.
- His successor as head of the BBN will be – at least for now – General Andrzej Kowalski, an intelligence officer and former long-serving chief of the Military Intelligence Service during the Law and Justice (PiS) governments.