Poland accelerates the military training of the population. 500,000 citizens, including children, will be prepared by 2026: “Let's be ready for any scenario”
Poland will start this month a new military training program as part of a larger plan that involves the training of around 500,000 people by 2026, the Ministry of Defense in Warsaw announced on Thursday, Reuters and AFP report.
Poland has over 200,000 soldiers. PHOTO Shutterstock
Driven by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Poland currently spends more of its GDP on defense than any other NATO state, writes Agerpres, citing the two foreign agencies.
With 216,000 soldiers, Poland has become the third largest army in NATO and plans to increase its forces by almost a third in the next decade.
The program entitled “Always ready” will be voluntary and open to all citizens – from primary school children to adults, company employees and seniors.
Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz appointed him “the largest defense training in the history of Poland”.
“In November and December (…) we will train about 20,000 people”
The program will offer a basic security course, survival training, medical training and cyber hygiene classes.
“Only in November and December (…) we will train about 20,000 people in individual trainings, but the total number, regarding all forms of training, is about 100,000 people”, said the Deputy Minister of Defense, Cezary Tomczyk, during a press conference.
The Ministry intends to train approximately 400,000 people next year “individually, in groups, within the framework «Education with the army»reservist training and voluntary military serviceTomczyk added.
Interested citizens can enroll in the military training program through an official mobile application, which is very widespread in Poland.
“We must be prepared for any scenario”
The program includes both existing trainings and new proposals that aim to “strengthening the national defense and a social resilience”, according to the ministry.
After the outbreak of war“the people of Ukraine (…) developed these skills. But when the war broke out, these skills for crisis behavior did not exist. We must be prepared for any scenario”, Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
Poland's Chief of the General Staff, Wieslaw Kukula, said the program has two main goals: to strengthen the resilience of citizens and communities, and to boost the availability, training and capacity of reservists.
The program was initially announced by Prime Minister Donald Tusk in March to “to build an army of reservists” in the context of increasing security concerns after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
