Billions of zlotys for armaments. The Parliamentary Defense Committee has a positive opinion about the draft budget

The Parliamentary National Defense Committee issued a positive opinion on the draft budget law, which will allocate almost PLN 125 billion to the Ministry of National Defence; total defense spending – according to the ministry's announcement – is to reach up to PLN 200 billion. The parliamentary finance committee will next consider the draft budget bill.

In recent years, Polish defense spending has been systematically increasing; they consist of two basic elements – money allocated for defense (part 29) in the state budget, and money from the Armed Forces Support Fund (FWSZ), based primarily on debt instruments, from which purchases of new equipment for the army are mainly financed.

On Thursday, the parliamentary defense committee dealt with the draft budget act for next year, which included PLN 124.8 billion in the part of the budget allocated to the Ministry of National Defense; earlier, the project received a positive opinion from the parliamentary subcommittee dealing strictly with the issue of financing the armed forces.

The management of the Ministry of National Defense has announced in recent weeks that next year's defense spending will total approximately PLN 200 billion. According to the draft budget law – which was discussed on Wednesday by the parliamentary national defense subcommittee for financing the armed forces – next year the defense budget is to include PLN 124.8 billion, which will translate into 3%. next year's planned state GDP. It is also PLN 0.5 billion more than in this year's budget.

The remaining funds, which in total are expected to give almost 5%. Polish GDP, are to be spent primarily within the Fund for Social Welfare, which will be financed, among others, by funds from the European SAFE instrument.

As Deputy Minister of National Defense Paweł Zalewski said at Thursday's committee meeting, next year's “total effort” of the state in terms of defense is to amount to PLN 200 billion, which – as he said – is an increase of PLN 13.5 billion compared to this year. This will translate into 4.81 percent. Polish GDP planned for next year.

Among the priority investments, Zalewski mentioned – apart from issues such as the development of numbers or increasing the operational capabilities of the army – also equipping the Armed Forces with unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as ensuring an appropriate level of cybersecurity. The plans also include, among others: supporting the development of “capabilities to carry out defense tasks” by various administrative bodies and entrepreneurs.

Col. Rafał Michalski from the General Staff of the Polish Army pointed out that one of the budget priorities is the further implementation of Operation “Szpej”, i.e. the purchase of modern individual equipment – uniforms, helmets, bulletproof vests, small arms, gas masks and radios – for soldiers. PLN 1.5 billion is to be allocated for this purpose in the proposed budget, but, as the officer assured, if funds earmarked for other purposes are released, they will be reallocated to the implementation of the “Szpej” program.

The structure of the defense budget at the committee meeting was criticized by PiS MPs, including Andrzej Śliwka, who alleged that the proposed budget did not in fact go beyond the obligations arising from the Homeland Defense Act, which obliges the state to spend at least 3% of GDP each year. GDP for defense. He also emphasized that the planned ceilings for defense spending are not being achieved – among others. due to difficulties in fully implementing spending plans under the Fund.

The MPs also drew attention to the issue of the number of troops, which was provided for in the proposed budget. The money planned therein will be enough to support PLN 227,000. 641 soldiers in service, including 163,000 641 professional soldiers, 40 thousand WOT soldiers and 20 thousand voluntary compulsory military service. This budget proposal was criticized by opposition MPs, who pointed out that the plans included keeping fewer territorial soldiers, voluntary compulsory military service or active reserves in service.

As emphasized by General Sławomir Kozicki from the budget department of the Ministry of National Defense, these amounts are adjusted to the real growth rate of the number of soldiers in the Polish Army; he also pointed out that the numbers refer to the average annual numbers of soldiers in service, which change throughout the year.

At Thursday's meeting, the parliamentary committee gave a positive opinion on the part of the draft budget law regarding defense. Further work on the entire project will be carried out by the Parliamentary Public Finance Committee. (PAP)

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