Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński told a group of arms manufacturers that Warsaw will have Europe’s strongest land force within two years through a series of weapons purchases. Warsaw believes increasing military spending to three percent of GDP and expanding its military to 300,000 personnel will make the Polish Army so powerful it cannot be challenged.
Kaczyński issued a letter to the International Defense Industry Exhibition being held in Poland this week. “In two years, we will have the strongest land army in Europe,” he said. “[The Polish Defense Minister] emphasized that the strength of the army is not just, and not primarily, its size but also its equipment, modernity, and innovation.”
Warsaw announced plans to significantly increase weapons spending last year. Next year, Polish military expenditures are expected to hit at least three percent of GDP. Some Polish officials hope the number could be pushed to as high as five percent of GDP in coming years.
Poland will spend the added funds on a sequence of massive weapons acquisitions, including multi-billion-dollar purchases of Apache Helicopters, Abrams Tanks, and HIMARS. Additionally, Warsaw plans to expand its military to 300,000 soldiers.
Polish officials claim the massive military buildup is an effort to prevent war. “The Polish army must be so powerful that it does not have to fight due to its strength alone,” said Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak remarked, “We want peace, and if we want that we must prepare for war – in connection with that, we are strengthening the Polish Army.”
However, some experts believe the policy will weaken Poland economically. Polish military expert Robert Czulda, a Resident Fellow at the Casimir Pulaski Foundation, said, “It seems highly likely that such a large scale of planned orders is largely driven by a political populism, aimed at gaining popularity here and now, rather than to be a real, comprehensive, and well-thought-out plan for harmoniously strengthening the armed forces,” he wrote. “Poland should ensure that these procurement programs are sustainable and affordable in the long term. The country should avoid a risk of overspending, which now seems very high.”
Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com, news editor of the Libertarian Institute, and co-host of Conflicts of Interest.
Uh huh. Even if its for the wrong reasons, Macron’s EU army is an idea that is solely needed for that continent. The Nato modus operandi is getting nowhere. All it does is breed more corruption and bureacracy. The fact that Poland thinks “more spending” and a “300,000 standing army” is what what will promote peace is beyond addiction level denial and delusion. Truth is they are trying to capture that US taxpayer kitty disbursement before Congress cut-off and/or the complete collapse of the Ukraine.
Poland owes Germany a favor.
Poland owes Germany Prussia, East Prussia, and the Posen Lands!
The Polish economy, such as it is, is integrated with and dependent on the German economy. Even their power grid is interconnected with Germany’s, which is much much larger.
They already “got” their “favor” from Germany; should just say “thank you”.
I guess they are saying Russia is not part of Europe or their 1.2 million man army would be the largest in Europe. The Globalist American Empire has been building an army in the Ukraine since 2014. The AFU found out that their new army was uncoordinated and they didn’t have any depth of experience. Having the largest army doesn’t mean you can inculcate the proper culture to make that army effective. I think it’s just talk; they don’t have the spare wealth for such an undertaking.
Russia is not part of Europe
Geographically, Western Russia is well within Europe. Arbitrary decisions by Europeans have decided not to let Russia in as they needed an enemy to justify the continuation of NATO.
Exactly. Between UK and Germany, they couldn’t raise a 100k army. Turkey is shifty. France has its own agenda that involves itself standing above the fray and Ukraine had several iterations of its army vanquished. Which means there is no one else to stand in solidarity with US in their brain dead NATO project. So enter (UK) geopolitical poodle Poland. Now the MIC can continue to market its “military products”.
Russia is also down about 250,000 on that head-count…
Way way more than that, many of its citizens with options, the smarter, the richer have decided to live elsewhere.
This smells fishy. Poland’s GDP is about 1/4 Germany’s; even at 4% of GDP (which would make Polish military spending as a % of GDP the highest in NATO, higher than the US) their total defense budget won’t equal Germany’s, and we know what that buys. So how in the world can they afford the thousands of advanced tanks and armored vehicles they have signed contracts for (1000 K2 tanks and 600 SP Howitzers from Korea, hundreds more from the US), over 1000 domestically produced IFVs, new jet fighters from Korea, F-16s from the US, a huge increase in full time personnel, and all the costs that go with it?
A Reuters article on this subject mentions that the Polish DM stated “we have secured financing” for these deals – which tells me someone else is paying. The US maybe??
Yes, 0ne wonders where the money for this military crap is coming from. Back when the EU issued financial documents (but no longer) Germany was by far the greatest financial giver, and Poland by far was the major financial taker of EU funds. Now Germany has said that it can’t continue to do that, so the money will come from . .the US, of course.
It has to; Poland certainly can’t afford it.
Warsaw says, “The Polish army must be so powerful that it does not have to fight.”
really they already don’t have to fight
“Poland Aims To Create Largest Army in Europe Within Two Years Warsaw says, “The Polish army must be so powerful that it does not have to fight.'”
I will see your army and raise you tactical nuclear warheads.
That is retards poker with the Pollocks! They lose!!!
I will see your tactical nuclear warheads and raise you the likelihood that anyone who uses them gets a massive strategic nuclear counterstrike (and knows for a certainty that that’s what will happen, so is unlikely to f*ck around and and find out).
Really? End of the world for Poland? “World War 3; this time for keeps”?
It’s not a movie and it would be a ludicrous move for nato to escalate, though not that it won’t happen …
A few years ago (2019? I don’t remember) Poland conducted a war game in which it simulated Russia attacking it. In this war game it was assumed that Poland had the F-35, the Abrams and all the rest of the stuff it’s buying.
The Polish military was “obliterated” by the Russians in five days in the game.
Now Russia is doubling the size of the army it had then, thanks to Ukraine.
War, The grift that keeps on grifting.
As soon as Poland was recreated in 1918, it started trying to recreate the Polish Lithuanian empire and had wars with most of its neighbours. It looks like it’s starting again.
Fill military ranks with immigrants?
Poland Kacynski promised to double the army size about 3 years ago – nothing happened.
There are enough Ukrainians around for Poles to recognise just how risky a life in the army is in E Europe. No one will sign up.