On 25 June 2015, the Deputy Prime Minister of Poland - Minister of National Defence, Mr Tomasz Siemoniak presented NATO Communications and Information Agency staff member, Mrs Agata Szydelko, with a Medal of Merit for National Defence (Polish: Medal Za Zasługi dla Obronności Kraju).
The decoration ceremony took place at the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Poland to the North Atlantic Council in Brussels, Belgium, in presence of Permanent Representative, Ambassador Jacek Najder and Military Representative, MGEN Andrzej Fałkowski.
The Medal of Merit for National Defence is a decoration of the Ministry of National Defence of Poland. Established 21 April 1966 and revised in 1991, the medal recognizes meritorious service that strengthens the military of the Republic of Poland.
"The hardest battles for national and global security take place through hard work and commitment pursued by the civil servants and military staff in national and international settings. Although we realize how difficult this work is, it is not always properly recognized," said Deputy Prime Minster Siemoniak. The award of the Medal to Mrs Szydelko is in recognition of her twelve years work with the NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency (NC3A) and the NCI Agency.
As Senior Contracting Officer in the Acquisition Division, Mrs Szydelko was responsible for coordinating the Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) Programme, and promoting small and medium enterprises involvement in cooperation with NATO. She managed contracts for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) (Force Tracking System, tetrapol radios), the Kosovo Force (satellite communication), and software acquisitions like the Maritime Command and Control System (MCCIS) or the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement that addressed the national and Territorial Host Nations requirements.