Renew reserve

Shoulder to shoulder

There are presently 2 types of armed forces reserves: passive And active. The erstwhile consists of all those who have a regulated attitude to military service – they were erstwhile conscripts, professional soldiers or simply received category A during the qualification. However, they must be little than 60 in the case of privates and little than 63 in the case of enlisted officers and officers. There are besides women in the passive reserve who, due to their profession, are obliged to qualify. The calls are given to nurses, doctors, psychologists or translators. The membership of the passive reserve involves respective responsibilities. The most serious is to appear in the service after the announcement of mobilization and war. During peace, reservists may be called up to support the army in combating natural disasters or search actions. They besides take part in exercises – up to a full of 90 days a year.

According to the announcements of the Ministry of Defence by the end of 2026, the appointment for specified exercises may receive as many as 200,000 reservists. In March they practiced in the 17th Wielkopolska Mechanized Brigade. They went to the logistics battalion, among others. Professional drivers utilized to sit behind the wheel there, only alternatively of vans they drove military trucks. Mechanists, like in civilians, looked for faults in engines, although this time they focused not on individuals, but on armored transporters. – About 25 men aged 40+ were sent to my ward. All of them had passed basic military service years ago, so we did not start from scratch – Lt. Łukasz Makaryk of 17 BZ admits. The reservists were aware that the military had hierarchy and regulations, and the order of the day was strictly regulated. At the same time, they had the chance to complement and make their skills. “We always plan fire activities during this kind of exercise, so that the reservists refresh the rules of usage of weapons and, as far as possible, learn fresh types of weapons. We besides want to make maximum usage of their professional competence – explains the officer. Called for respective days, they become part of a complex organism. – erstwhile they come to training, they occupy in the battalion structure certain posts scheduled for wartime. They are working side by side with professional soldiers," stresses Lt. Makaryk, praising his subordinates for their commitment.

However, looking at the problem from a broader perspective, it is hard to be optimistic, due to the fact that the exercise does not always look like this. – Reservists get a call to exercise, come to the unit and what happens? No equipment for them, no vests, no helmets. It can't be that he's standing next to a professional soldier. Reservist looking like from another era – says Colonel Wronka.

The situation is better with respect to active reserve. This proposal is addressed to those willing to service in military units – both in Poland and in Polish military contingents. Volunteers who have taken a military oath and presently do not execute any another kind of military service may apply to it. – Even in its present form it meets all the requirements of the modern reserve. Not only does he presume to delegate a soldier to a peculiar unit, but he is provided with regular contact with it, exercises, improvement of skills. This is simply a good way to usage the experience of specialists who have already gone to a civilian – says the colonel dipl. dr Grzegorz Lewandowski from the Academy of War Art.

This is the way that Mr Adrian Priestiak of the 12th Mechanized Brigade decided to take. In the army he served nearly 2 decades, and after retiring he decided to stay in the unit. In 20 years, I've come from a private to an officer, scored 2 missions in Afghanistan. I thought that my experience might inactive be useful for the army – he explains. present he serves as a junior education officer. The unit shows up 5 times a week. Just like kmdr Lt. rez. Krzysztof Kudelski of the 3rd Fleet Ships. Before deciding to take off his uniform in 2021, he served on the crew of the reconnaissance ship, then at the Marine Operations Centre – Command of the Marine Component, yet in the current Armed Forces Agency. Then he decided to go another way. He worked for a company that protected ships. Eventually, however, he decided to return to the Navy. Why? There were respective factors involved. In general, however, the prospects which the navy opened for me were more interesting than the proposals from the civilian marketplace – he admits. In the military, this time as a reservist, he re-registered in the spring of 2025. present he serves in the department of flagship officers, which deals, among others, with strategical and operational planning. – I service the navy with my cognition – he argues.

How many reservists support an army on akin terms are not known. specified information remains reserved. Surely, however, not all of them must service in units as wide-ranging as the officers mentioned. Under current regulations, active reserve soldiers are obliged to service at least erstwhile a quarter, at least for 2 days, and erstwhile all 3 years, for 2 weeks. They do not gotta quit any another work they do.

But it's inactive not enough. The army needs a full multitude of well-prepared reservists, ready to engage in building the country's defence system. This is what improvement is about.

Two speeds in one

The army of 500 1000 – this is the motto of the head of the MON Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz frequently repeats in his speeches, indicating the mark number of soldiers in the Polish armed forces. He besides utilized it erstwhile during the February conference at the General Staff, he announced that 2026 would be a year of reserve and reserve. due to the fact that they're expected to be 1 of the components of a half-million-dollar military. – The Minister did not say: army 300 plus 200. Now professional soldiers, territorial defence and reservists will be the 3 components of 1 integrated system. We are finished with the army of 2 speeds – declared Colonel Wronka.

In the fresh approach, the reserve will be based on 3 pillars. 2 types of passive reserve will appear alongside the active one: advanced and constant readiness. They are to closely tie soldiers to circumstantial military units. They will only be for volunteers – both men and women.

High preparedness reserves will support units of the alleged first tier, and so those that, if mobilised, must be ready to operate within 5 to 7 days. The second and 3rd tier units are to support the reserve of standing readiness. "For now we cannot talk about details, due to the fact that they are inactive being developed, but the reserve of advanced readiness will be a more demanding service, with more training days. There is besides greater financial gratuitation related to this – explains Colonel Wronka. The wage is provided for both participation in the exercises and for standing ready. The second will gotta prove during the alleged mobilization day that they are actually able to show up at a specified time with the required equipment.

Importantly, reservists will be given the chance to make their competences if they volunteer for additional training. “We are inactive working on the program, but I can tell you that fire training will be organised, including weapon and carbine shooting, field medicine or SERE, that is, elements of military endurance and survival,” said Colonel Wronka. The fresh strategy is to be based not only on a stronger union of reservists with the army, but besides on a greater degree of voluntaryity. “We do not want a situation erstwhile individual comes to training just due to the fact that they fear the legal consequences in case of refusal,” he adds.

For volunteers, benefits were provided. They will get the same uniform as the professional army and the same access to modern equipment. In any units, this already works, but the goal is to have this standard in place throughout the army. But it's not over. – We want the reservist – like a soldier of territorial military service – to have basic equipment on him, including a uniform he cares about himself and in which he puts himself on training. If individual truly identifies with the army, it is natural that having a uniform at home, he can besides wear it on occasion of various holidays or events erstwhile he feels the need. We besides want the commanders to remember their reservists and invitation them to the celebrations of the individual – these are their soldiers, whether they are in professional service or not – says Colonel Wronka. So all item will be important. due to the fact that they are the ones that build a sense of community. And consequently the strength of the army.

Subdivisions 2.0

However, the first step remains a key issue. due to the fact that before the reservists begin to perfect their skills, they request to master the military abcade. The authorities have implemented many programs related to military training. They are expected to open the way for young people to the army. And if they do not yet decide to do so – make them as reservists prepared for a possible war.

The standard offer is voluntary basic military service. The task was designed for all those who are 18 years of age and have good wellness and good reputation. They are eager to apply to military recruitment centres and after a successful transition, they are assigned to 28-day primary training. After it is completed, they take an oath and can decide whether they want to decision to the reserve or join 11-month specialist training and then apply for admission to the professional service. – Recruitment and implementation of trainings in the framework of voluntary basic military service began with the entry into force of the Law on Defence of Homeland – explains Captain Michał Gelej, spokesperson for the Central Military Recruitment Centre. This happened in the first half of 2022. By the end of 2025, nearly 93,000 volunteers had completed basic training. 44.5 1000 of them decided to take specialist training. The others reinforced the passive reserve, and any provided the active reserve or joined the territorial defence troops.

The basic training is behind Vanessa Merta, who studies interior safety at the University of Szczecin. What made me do that? To tell you the truth, I've had this thought on my head for a long time. First of all, I have any military in my family, and second, unfortunately, we've had any hard times. And I feel that what I do will someway translate into the safety of my loved ones – he convinces.

Soon, more opportunities will be opened up before people like her. In the second half of the year, the alleged reserve way under the government's voluntary training programme will be launched under the subject "inReadiness". The starting point will besides be 28-day basic training. Its participants will learn to shoot, adopt elements of tactics and military regulations. erstwhile the cycle is completed, they will be in reserve, but will be able to improve their skills during regular exercises.

And that's not the end of it. With a view to the appropriate preparation of the reserves, the State plans to reconstruct schools under the conditions known from the interwar period. They will function at civilian colleges and let students to jointly get directional education and officer skills. Future reserve patients are to receive a scholarship of PLN 1000 per month. “We hope that for the university it will be an additional asset offered to candidates, so they will express interest in joining the program,” says Colonel Wronka and adds that the military is open to cooperation not only with method universities. The University of Technology is an intuitive choice, of course, but the military needs people of various specialties that can be obtained from another universities: psychologists, medics, philologists.

Candidates for reserve officers will gotta devote a period of vacation before starting their studies for 28-day basic training. In the academic year, a one-day lecture cycle is planned, erstwhile a month. On holiday, the podchodów will return to the units for 28 days to gain applicable skills. – After the 3rd year of study, 28-day training is to end with an officer exam. The condition for receiving promotion to the officer's degree will be to get a degree in higher education," explains Colonel Wronka.

And the key thing is that, no substance what course they choose, the reservists will be able to apply for professional service at any time. For people like Vanessa Merta, that's especially important. – In my case, basic training is only the beginning. I've always dreamed of the military, and I'm going back to my old plans," he admits.

Doctor in the body

Meanwhile, 2 another projects developed by the military for any time, Cyber Legion and the Medical Legion, will take an crucial place in the recently created system. This is simply a consequence to 1 of the biggest challenges facing modern armed forces: how to attract well-paid civilian marketplace professionals and exploit their skills. Cyber Legion and the Medical Legion are peculiar initiatives that let professionals to combine professional life in civilians with commitment to support the army. In the case of the Medical Legion, after 5 days of basic training, you may be transferred to the passive reserve or apply for transfer to the active reserve. This involves the same responsibilities as all reservists, and offers opportunities for development, including through participation in specialist trainings specified as the TCCC (tactical rescue) or field medicine. For those with higher medical education there is besides a road to the corps of reserve officers.

Cyber Legion, designed for people specialising in widely understood IT and cyber security, besides offers specified opportunities for development. If they decide to enter the Cyber-Backup path, they are given a mobilization allocation to the Cyberspace defence Component Command. – People who are curious in the Cyber Legion service come to us for short-term military exercises, take an oath and stay in a passive reserve on the phase in the company of filling up the personnel of cyberspace defence troops," explains Colonel Przemysław Lipczyński, the press spokesperson for the Cyberspace defence Command.

As reservists, they will be called to exercise, but besides to serve, if needed, for example, cyber attacks on critical infrastructure. Cyber Legion besides offers the chance to change the mobilization allocation. – Sometimes we deal with world-class specialists, and they are inactive assigned, for example, as gunmen in a mechanized unit. We cannot afford to waste specified possible – adds Colonel Lipczyński.

Both initiatives show that we are faced not with superficial reforms, but with a fundamental change in the reasoning of who the reservists are and what function they are to play in the state's defence system. – Given the current geopolitical situation and the full-scale war in Ukraine, further improvement of passenger reserves is necessary. We request a reserve of many and well-trained ones, which will not only let the army to make smoothly to the condition foreseen for the time of W, but will besides let to make an effective strategy of compensation for individual losses during the war – says Colonel Lewandowski. Of course, it is hard to justice how large they will be in the event of a possible war. However, the efficient and expanded strategy of reserves can make war never happen, due to the fact that the fact that Poland owns them will affect the possible opponent with deterrence.