He has been a member of the Management Board of ORLEN Ochrona Sp. z o.o. since March 2024. He directly supervises areas including the human resources office, finance department, control department, the Specialist Training Center, the branch in the Czech Republic, and the subsidiary named UAB “ORLEN Apsauga”.

Mr. Piotr Gąstał is a graduate of the University of Warsaw, Faculty of Political Science and Journalism, as well as the National Security Studies at the Institute of International Relations, and the National Security Science – Combatting Terrorism – Policy and Strategy – at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, USA.

He completed an officer training course at the Military College of Mechanised Infantry in Wrocław, after which he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant. He also completed the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFOQC) at the JFK Special Warfare Center and School, Fort Bragg, NC. He is also a graduate of the Joint Fire Support course at the US Air Force base in Spangdahlem, Germany, the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force (CJSOTF) course at the NATO School in Oberammergau, Germany, and the Defense Resource Management course at the Defense Resource Management Institute in Monterey, CA. He participated in an advanced Special Operations Combating Terrorism course at the Joint Special Operations University in Tampa, and a Counterterrorism Intelligence course at the National Intelligence University in Washington, DC.

In 1989, he started serving in the Polish Air Defense Force, and in 1991, he started serving in the GROM Military Unit, where he held various positions in reconnaissance, operations, and combat teams, undergoing a range of specialized training.

In 1993, he was assigned to a group tasked with creating the Combat Boat Section in the Maritime Counter-Terrorism Team of the GROM Military Unit.

In 1994, he took part in the “Restore Democracy” operation in the Republic of Haiti, where he was responsible for the direct protection of the operation commander, General David C. Mead.

In 1996, he participated in the United Nations mission in Eastern Slavonia (UNTAES) in the former Yugoslavia with a Special Group detached from GROM. In 1997, in cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), he actively participated in the operation to capture the first war criminal in the Balkans.

In 1999, Piotr Gąstał participated in the OSCE Kosovo Verification Mission in Kosovo, where he was responsible for the personal protection of the mission’s head, Ambassador William Walker.

From 2003 to 2004, during Operation “Iraqi Freedom”, he served as an operations officer for TF GROM within the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Arabian Peninsula. Alongside American special forces from the Navy SEALs and the Army Special Forces, he conducted numerous operations aimed at reconnaissance, counteracting, and eliminating terrorist threats to coalition forces. After returning to Poland, he was tasked with creating the Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) group.

He was appointed by the Minister of National Defense as the commander of the GROM Military Unit, where from 2011 to 2016, he was responsible for programming the Unit’s development, maintaining international contacts, supervising the appropriate level of combat training for operators, and coordinating the synchronization of combat teams. He managed personnel and logistics resources, approved and was accountable for procurement under the public procurement plan, maintained and developed training infrastructure, and ensured the logistical completeness of the Unit. As the commander of the counter-terrorism unit, he participated in preparing anti-terrorism security plans for the UEFA Euro 2012 football championships, the NATO summit, and World Youth Day in 2016. He was involved in creating key elements of the counter-terrorism strategy, from the legislative process to creating and supervising services tasked with counter-terrorism activities, defining international threats, to proposing key solutions for the Polish state in the form of the Act of 10 June 2016 on Anti-Terrorism Actions.

During his service, he participated in numerous exercises, training sessions, and tactical workshops along with partners from the American, European, and African special forces, gaining extensive experience in international operations and activities, and expanding his knowledge of political and military issues with a focus on counter-terrorism. During his deployments in Afghanistan as part of the ISAF’s mission, he supervised and enhanced the coordination mechanisms between allied forces and Afghan units, clarified the tasks and areas of responsibility of various Afghan services and military units, and established cooperation principles to ensure effective actions against terrorist activities.

He has frequently advised the Polish President, Prime Minister, Ministers of National Defense, Internal Affairs, and Foreign Affairs, as well as the Commander-in-Chief of Police, on matters of security and terrorism. He has also guest lectured at many Polish universities and conducted counter-terrorism training for numerous civilian institutions and organizations.

For his dedication to service, social activities, and international cooperation, he has been awarded numerous medals, including the Cross of Merit for Bravery, the Iraq Star, the Medal of Merit for the Police, the Pro Patria Medal, the Honorary Badge “Meritorious for Polish Culture”, and, upon the request of the United States Congress, the US flag.