The year 2022 is simply a breakthrough year for the Polish Army not only due to the signing of strategical contracts for fresh military equipment and the transportation of modern weapons to the Polish Armed Forces. The year 2022 is besides the entry into force of the Defence Act A homeland providing, among others, an increase in the number of the Polish Army, a simplification of the strategy of joining the army or an increase in the defence budget.
Legislation
From the point of view of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland, the most crucial event in 2022 was the passing of the Homeland Defence Act. The fresh Act comprehensively organizes provisions concerning the Polish Army replacing respective legal acts, including, above all, the 1967 Act on the universal work of defence. This is besides a consequence to the increasingly hard geopolitical situation in the region. The paper is based on 3 pillars: expanding the financing of the Armed Forces, introducing the concept of universal defence and expanding the size of the Polish Army.
As a consequence of the Homeland Defence Act, as of January 2023, investment in defence was increased to 3% of GDP, which puts Poland among the leaders of the North Atlantic Alliance. Additionally, thanks to the creation of an additional Armed Forces Support Fund, the financing of purchases of military equipment has more than 1 source. Thanks to the mechanisms allowing to increase the number of soldiers, it is planned to scope the number of Polish troops of at least 300,000 soldiers. The bill besides introduced a fresh kind of service – Voluntary Basic Military Service and a number of beneficial solutions for soldiers and candidates for soldiers, so that service in the military is attractive and competitive on the labour market.
Modernization – unprecedented purchases of modern equipment
The precedence of the current MON management is to replace post-Soviet equipment with modern weapons. We focus on both equipment manufactured by Polish reinforcing plants and we scope for the most modern solutions offered by abroad manufacturers. We make up for years of neglect of erstwhile governments in the area of military modernisation. We usage billions of PLN to buy modern weapons. In January 2022 we established the Armed Forces Agency and the method Modernization Council, which consolidated the tasks and competences of the military equipment acquisition strategy distributed in the Ministry of Defence. Only late have we signed contracts on AW 149 helicopters and AW101 helicopters, Chunmoo launchers, HIMARS rocket systems, F-35 aircraft, FA/50 aircraft, ABRAMS tanks or reflection satellites. Patriot systems, K2 tanks, cannonhaubice K9, BAYRAKTAR drones, Min. KORMORAN II destroyers, KRAB cannonhaubice, RAK mortars, Piorun sets, Pilica sets or small Narew set have already been sent to the soldiers of the Polish Army.
Increasing the number of Polish Army
Since 2015, the number of WP soldiers has increased importantly – from 95 1000 to over 160 thousand. In addition to the modernization of the army, the increase in the number of the Polish Army in all types of armed forces (terrestrial, special, aviation, navy, territorial defence), in the professional service and in the reserve and in all individual corps – Private, Petty Officers and Officers is crucial for the safety of Poland.
We are constantly conducting recruitment and we want to train as many people as possible so that they know how to behave, for example, in a crisis situation. We've simplified the military enrollment strategy by creating Military Recruitment Centers. We have introduced a fresh kind of service – Voluntary Basic Military Service. It is simply a service intended for volunteers who hold 28-day basic training and then for 11 months specialist training. Since the entry into force of the Home defence Act, nearly 20,000 applications have been submitted to the Voluntary Primary Military Service. Another origin contributing to the increase in the number of Polish troops is the increase in the yearly limits of places at military universities. In the current academic year 2022/23, the number of places in military studies in Warsaw, Dęblin, Gdynia and Wrocław increased by 450. All these solutions contribute to the steady growth of the Polish army, the reconstruction of the reserve system, and consequently to the strengthening of the state's defence system.
Improvement of terms of service in the Polish Army
The Home defence Act introduced a number of affirmative solutions for soldiers and candidates for soldiers, so that service in the military was attractive and competitive on the market. We besides consistently make unchangeable and competitive service conditions, including in terms of earnings and prospects. In 2022, the lowest wage rate of the basic professional soldier is 4.560 PLN. This means an increase compared to 2015 by PLN 2060, i.e. by 82.4%. The average wage of the basic professional soldier together with the additives is PLN 6.304.74, which means an increase of PLN 2.294.74 compared to 2015. Thanks to changes in the Act on the accommodation of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland, soldiers serving so far under contracts gained the same powers as soldiers in the permanent service. They besides received a higher housing briefing – according to the period of service of the soldier – increased from 80% to 100%.
Subsequent solutions adopted in 2022 concern, among others, housing benefits paid to soldiers. As of 1 January 2023, soldiers will receive a higher benefit. So far – depending on the garrison – it was from 360 to 900 zł, now it will be from 450 zł to 1.5 1000 zł net per month. Additionally, in 2022 we introduced many another cash allowances for soldiers (e.g. compensation allowance, special) ranging from PLN 45 to PLN 5250 and the full catalogue of specialist courses. Soldiers are entitled to a motivational benefit granted after 25 years of service of PLN 1,500 and after 28 years of service of PLN 2,500.
Restoring the possible of the Polish Army
For years Poland was weakened in terms of military force, military units were liquidated, especially those on the Polish entrance. Currently, the management of the MON is setting up fresh military units. Only this year, the head of MON announced the return of the army to Kolna, Grajewa and Ciechanov.
This year, the decision was besides made to form an additional military division – in carrying out these announcements in September, Deputy Prime Minister, the head of the MON appointed Brig. Gen. Norbert Ivanowski as the typical of the MON for the formation of the 5th Polish Army Division. The fresh division will be located in the east of Poland and will be 1 of the key elements of the process of real strengthening and restoring the defence possible on the alleged east wall.
“Train with the Army” task
It is simply a pro-defense and pro-social initiative aimed at all those who want to feel safer, to know how to behave in the event of a threat, and to know the grounds for defence. Training is carried out by military units – utilizing facilities, equipment and personnel of these units. At the very beginning, there was a very advanced public interest in the project. In the first edition we managed to train more than 4,000 volunteers, so we planned another edition of the project: “Train with the army in the spring.” This time, the “Train with the Army in Holidays” task will run from mid-January to late February 2023. On Saturdays military training for each willing will take place in 31 military units throughout the country (in each province).
Soldiers guarding Polish borders
For almost a year and a half due to the continuing advanced migratory force on the Polish-Belarusian national border, soldiers of the Polish Army have supported the Border defender by patrolling the state border. Since the onset of the crisis, the Border defender has supported respective 1000 soldiers from the 11, 12,16 and 18th Divisions and soldiers of the Territorial defence Army. Soldiers built a temporary barrier that effectively obstructed attempts at an illegal forced border. Currently, soldiers build specified a dam on the border with the Kaliningrad circuit.
Strengthening Poland's global position
Poland is an active associate in global activities, which is reflected, among another things, in safety and defence cooperation. In January this year, the ceremony of Poland's accession as a framework state to the structures of Eurocorpus was held in Strasbourg. This multinational structure in Strasbourg is capable of planning, preparing and managing large-scale and complex military operations. These European fast consequence forces are available to the EU and NATO.
The provisions of the June NATO summit in Madrid were besides peculiarly important. During the meeting, a fresh NATO strategical Concept was adopted, which identifies the key objectives and tasks of the Alliance in the light of an increasingly dangerous and unpredictable geopolitical situation. peculiar attention has been paid to ensuring the safety of associate States from the east part of the Alliance, expanding the presence of military allied forces in the region, as well as the number of allied advanced readiness forces. For years Deputy Prime Minister Mariusz Błaszczak has consistently sought to increase Poland's defence capabilities, which has been achieved. In Madrid, it was decided that the rotational presence of allied troops would turn into a permanent presence. In addition, U.S. president Joe Biden's decision in Poland established a permanent command of the 5th U.S. Army Corps, whose task is to command American land troops on the east NATO flank. Today, the presence of US soldiers in Poland is more than 10 thousand. In addition, allied forces are present in Poland as part of support from Canada, large Britain and within the Battalion Group enhanced NATO presence on the east flank from Romania and Croatia.
Strong support for the fighting Ukraine
Poland has supported our east neighbours since the beginning of Russian aggression against Ukraine. In February this year, the head of the MON decided to transfer military equipment free of charge from the resources of the Polish Armed Forces to Ukraine. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, i.e. from 24 February Polish military-technical aid for Ukraine began to grow dynamically. To date, we have handed over dense weapons, missiles and artillery ammunition to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as firearms, portable anti-aircraft kits, unmanned aircraft, circulating ammunition, artillery systems and another defensive and offensive weapons, as well as medical, fire and individual protective equipment. Poland donated more than 2 billion dollars to Ukraine.
