This month, Poland will initiate a new military training program as part of its plan to prepare approximately 400,000 individuals by 2026, according to the Defence Ministry’s announcement on Thursday. Prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Poland now allocates a higher percentage of its GDP to defence than any other NATO country, making it the alliance’s third-largest military force with 216,000 personnel. The nation plans to expand its forces by nearly a third within the next decade.
Civilians participate in a military training session called ‘Train with the Army’ organized by the defence ministry in Gdynia, Poland, on April 5, 2025.
Named by Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz as “the largest defence training in Polish history,” the program, titled “At Readiness,” will be voluntary and accessible to all citizens, including students, working adults, companies, and seniors.
The initiative will include a basic security course, survival skills, medical training, and cyber-hygiene education.
“In November and December, we will train approximately 20,000 individuals in personal training, but the overall number for all training formats is around 100,000,” stated Deputy Defence Minister Cezary Tomczyk at a conference.
Next year, the ministry aims to train about 400,000 people “individually, in groups, as part of ‘Education with the Army,’ reserve training, and voluntary compulsory military service,” added Tomczyk.
Poland’s General Staff Chief, Wieslaw Kukula, noted the program’s two main objectives: enhancing citizen and community resilience and improving the readiness and capacity of reserves. Initially announced by Prime Minister Donald Tusk in March, the program seeks to “build an army of reservists” amid growing security concerns after Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
