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Voluntary military training attracted over 20,000 poles in the first seven months of 2025
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Tusk government expressed concern over Russian military aggression
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Poland increased military expenses up to 4.7% of GDP, the highest in NATO
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Poland’s military is third in NATO with 216,000 personnel
By Barbara Erling
Branivo, Poland, September 13 – Six kilometers from the Russian border in Northern Poland, the office administrator Agnizka Zruszak is digging a gap. Inspired by fear of war with Russia, she wants to be able to protect her family, including her 13 -year -old son.
Thousands of poles such as Zruszak are signed up for voluntary military training as the Poland’s army attempts to fill its rank with professional and voluntary personnel amid raising concerns over Russia’s military aggression.
“I will do anything to keep my child safe. And I would definitely like to fight to protect him,” Jedruszak said, wearing military fatigue, his face was painted in camouflage colors. For many people in Poland – which ended decades of Moscow’s dominance under the Soviet Union – the fear of Russian enmity. On Wednesday, Poland only increased this week after reducing Russian drones in its airspace – the first time a member of the NATO Military Alliance is known for shooting during Russia’s war in Ukraine. Kremlin accused Western countries of an ’emotional surcharge’ and enmity towards Russia this week, stating that they had no threat to them. It has refused to comment on the drone incident. Poland took the military instructions of Zruszak in Branuvo, after Poland ordered 180 in 2022 under a major military cooperation deal, at a training ground for South Korean K -2 tanks. Located between the forests and sandy areas, the site resonated with roar and barking orders of tank engines.
While she tries to be centered during her everyday life, Zruszak says she wanted to prepare for a “new reality”.
The 36 -year -old said, “It is always behind my mind: thought that something like this could happen.”
According to Colonel Grazegorz Vavrzinucus, head of the Central Military Recruitment Center in Poland, with a record level last year, more than 20,000 sticks were signed for voluntary military training in the first seven months of 2025.
He hopes that by the end of this year, around 40,000 volunteers will complete military training, over 16,000 in 2022, reflecting an increase in public engagement since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Since the onset of the war in 2022, Poland has doubled its defense spending from more than 2.2% of the economic production, which has increased to 4.7% this year – 32 -32 – The highest ratio of military expenses in the Nation NATO alliance, beyond more established European forces such as Germany, France and Britain.
Donald Trump’s return to the White House – who has suspected the desire to protect NATO colleagues – ruled European apprehensions on the reliability of US security commitments. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who has grown up under Communist rule, has been at the forefront of taking more responsibility from Europe leaders to take more responsibility for his defense.
“It is difficult to imagine for the countries where Russian business or Soviet business has no memory in Russia and Defense Policy, and an expert on Russia and Defense Policy, and researcher Gustav Gracell … It is difficult to imagine what you are fighting for,” Russia and a defense policy expert Gustav Gracell said, and the researcher at the National Defense Academy in Vienna.
Changes
Fearing the danger from the east, Poland launched the “East Shield” fortification with Belarus in May last year with its borders and a long spread of anti-tank obstacles known as Kalinigrad’s Russian enclave-elevated monitoring and electronic warfare system.
The government’s government is also transferring military units in the east to tap into a strong recruitment pool.
Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Zalevsky said, “People are working in places where they will defend their homes.”
Officials say the focus of Poland’s military restructuring is on mobility, armored abilities, air defense and logistics operations.
Recruitment chief Wawrzinakivicz said the efforts aim to promote military readiness and appearance near the Poland border, while historically also create local employment opportunities in a high unemployed rate area.
Going through military training does not automatically serve people to serve in war; Officials said the program has been made flexible. Volunteers may opt for professional military service to join regional defense forces, or to remain part of active or passive reserve.
Those who join the WOT usually perform part -time service in their domestic areas and can be invited to emergency or during increased hazards, including natural disasters or border crises, such as when Belarus broadcast thousands of migrants towards Poland in 2021 during tension with the European Union in 2021.
Volunteers train with professional soldiers, but are not embedded in regular units until they are formally recruited. The structure allows the construction of a scalable force that may support Poland’s defense strategy at the time of need – similar to the systems used in Lithuania and Germany.
Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk told Reuters that – even as battlefield technology advances – is important to train enough personnel to protect themselves.
He said, “When there is a war or any kind of war, it is the most basic things that are count: these are fuel, ammunition and people,” they told the Reuters.
According to alliance’s estimates, after the United States and Türkiye, the United States and Türkiye, the military is the third largest army in Poland. It is dwarf with the size of Russia’s army, which was ordered by President Vladimir Putin to increase to 1.5 million active soldiers by 180,000 soldiers in September.
Nevertheless, Poland has increased its armed forces rapidly in recent years – from NATO’s ninth largest army in 2014 – and it is planning to further increase its number in the next decade. Poland’s shrinking and aging population presents a challenge, but authorities hope that the latest initiative will help them to overcome.
While some other NATO members including Finland and Baltic states have also increased their military rank, traditional European powers such as Germany and Britain have struggled.
Despite the increase in defense spending and modernization, there is a lack of frequent recruitment in Germany, with some 20,000 positions recruited and there are high dropout rates between the recruitments.
Bundeswehhr is currently a number of around 180,000 active personnel, below the target of 203,000 in 2018 and recently less than the target of 260,000 proposed by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
Britain has started retention initiative, but continues to fight with low list and morale. The British Army has around 71,000 full -time trained soldiers, which is its smallest size over 300 years, and is below 102,000 in 2010.
Researcher Gracell of National Academy in Vienna said that the readiness to recruit is more among Eastern European people than elsewhere on the continent.
“They are more inclined to fight because they can’t simply run,” he said.
European autonomy
Trump’s suspicion towards NATO and opposition to Ukraine’s membership inspired all colleagues to assure their defense strategies. European countries have accepted the rising threat and increased their military expenses, including regional defense initiatives such as safe. But an analysis by the Atlantic Council in Washington, an analysis in June concluded that NATO’s ability to respond to Russian aggression is very much dependent on American abilities – especially for fighter jets, missiles and air defense systems. The Ukraine War has underlined this dependence, also leading in emerging areas such as AI, drone and satellite network with American tech, as Reuters.
In addition, unlike Russia, most European armies lack strong reserved components, making it difficult to maintain heavy damage in the extended period.
Colonel Pavel Vronka, the first Deputy Chief of the General Staff of Polish Sena Poland, said, “Every struggle reflects one thing: the reserves always win, especially the long -term,” The Polish Sena Poland’s general staff’s first Deputy Head of the first Deputy Head of the Poland, Colonel Pavel Vronka, the military assistant of the first Deputy Chief of the General Staff of Poland, told Reuters.
In February, Tusk announced a new program to offer voluntary military and civil defense training from next year, with a target of training a total of 100,000 volunteers in 2027.
According to NATO’s public estimates, Russia needs a few years to be ready to fight the war with the West.
Deputy Defense Minister Zalevsky said, “This time limit is also a horizon for us.” “We are ready to face the danger today that is real today. And we are preparing for the danger that will be real tomorrow.”
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without amending the text.
