Warning that Russia is planning an attack on the Baltic states in the foreseeable future, Poland is preparing a plan for organizing for war, which includes doubling the number of soldiers and rapidly training millions of new reservists.
Poland recently announced the goal of training every adult male for war, all as part of preparations for a possible conflict with Russia.
Politico writes that Poland, which was under Moscow’s colonial domination for almost two centuries, has maintained a deep-rooted wariness of Russia. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has further intensified this fear.
“If a full-scale conflict were to occur, Poland does not have the strategic depth of some other European countries,” said the Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, General Wieslaw Kukula.
He emphasized the fact that Poland does not have a buffer zone, but is a direct neighbor to Russia.
“We are neighbors with the Russian Federation and its ally Belarus, which means we do not have a buffer zone and only have a limited time to prepare and respond,” Kukula said.
For Poland, a high-income country with one of the fastest-growing economies in the European Union, the move to a state of war readiness also marks a change in mentality.
“The details of the plan are still being worked out, and the military should present a proposal by the end of March,” Kukula said.
The authorities plan to launch short-term military training for civilians with no previous experience, Rzeczpospolita reports.
“The first goal of the program is to improve the availability and quality of reserve personnel. The army already has a large number of reservists, but their average age is around 45. If the pressure on Poland continues, well-trained reservists will be crucial,” General Kukula said.
“The goal is to train 100,000 people by the end of 2026,” he added.
He also said the second goal of the preparations is to prepare society for the consequences of the crisis.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced in a March address to parliament that Poland plans to more than double its army to half a million soldiers and train millions of reservists.
“By the end of the year, we want to have a model where every adult male in Poland is trained for war, and the reserve is appropriate for potential threats,” Tusk said, adding that women can also volunteer.
He stressed that the training would be voluntary, hoping to allay fears of a return to forced conscription, which was abolished in 2008.
However, some senior military officials warn that time may not be on Poland’s side.
“The Russians are building a huge army. If there is no peace and if divisions within NATO continue, Russia will attack the Baltic states. This could happen at the end of this year or the beginning of next year. An invasion is part of their plan,” warned former deputy chief of the General Staff, General Leon Komornicki.
General Jaroslaw Kraszewski, however, believes that all this is “too little” and that Poland must restore compulsory military service, AA writes.
