Recently, in the media it has been heard that Poland needs an army of about 500 1000 soldiers, including reservists. This announcement was presented by Prime Minister Donald Tusk during a session in the Sejm. But is that adequate to guarantee the safety of our country? According to General Bogusław Paczka, the mobilization reserve must be more many than the professional army.
In many countries I know, the mobilization reserve is simply a double number of professional armies. This means that all 300,000 professional soldiers should account for 600,000 reservists. These people must be decently trained, equipped with weapons and uniforms, and have accommodation facilities. Only then does this number make sense.
The Polish army can and should be larger during the war. This applies not only to operational troops, but besides to territorial defence. Our country has a population and structural possible to build more strength. According to data from the Ministry of Defence, in 2022 the Polish army counted about 160 1000 soldiers. Compared to another European countries, our army is comparatively small.
One solution to increase the number of soldiers is the introduction of universal military training. specified a proposal was presented by Prime Minister Donald Tusk. According to plans, by 2027 training opportunities for troops are to be increased to 100,000 people per year. It is presently about 40,000.
Universal military training is simply a step in the right direction. Any action that increases Poland's defence capabilities should be received positively. However, the devil is in the details, and those details are inactive not enough. A week of training for individual who has already been trained is adequate time to remind you of skills. A period for a individual who has never been in the military is inactive more than 16 days of training the Territorial defence Army.
As part of the programme, the programme is to disseminate various types of programmes, specified as "Train with the Army". Their aim is to familiarize the public with the military, advance pro-defence attitudes and encourage participation in the ranks of the Polish Armed Forces. According to data from the Ministry of Defence, in 2022 more than 10 1000 people participated in the program "Train with the Army".
To measure universal military training full positive, we request to know more details: who, where, to what degree and in what specialities will be trained. It is besides worth noting that universal military training is not fresh in Poland. In the 1990s and early 21st century, specified trainings were carried out as part of compulsory military service.
This year the Ministry of National Defence plans to increase national defence spending by over PLN 10 billion. This means that full defence spending will amount to over PLN 70 billion. According to NATO data, in 2022 Poland spent about 2.3% of GDP in defence. This is 1 of the highest indicators in the European Union.
It is worth noting that universal military training is not the only solution to increase the number of soldiers. another options are to increase recruitment and to amend mandatory military service provisions. According to data from the Ministry of Defence, in 2022 more than 20,000 people joined the army.
In order to increase the number of reservists, the Ministry of Defence plans to increase scholarships for reservists. According to data from the Ministry of Defence, in 2022 the scholarship for the reserveist amounted to about PLN 2 000 per month.
In summary, universal military training is simply a step in the right direction to increase the number of soldiers and improve Poland's security. However, in order to accomplish this, we request to know more details about the program and be certain that the devil is in the details.
