Poland will begin a new military training program this month as part of a broader plan that involves training about 500,000 people by 2026, announced the Ministry of Defense in Warsaw on Thursday, according to Reuters and AFP.
Driven by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Poland is currently spending more of its GDP on defense than any other NATO state, writes Agerpres, citing the two foreign agencies.
With 216,000 soldiers, Poland has become the third largest army in NATO and intends to increase its forces by almost a third in the next decade.
The program titled “Always Ready” will be voluntary and open to all citizens – from elementary school children to adults, company employees, and seniors.
Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz called it “the largest defense training in Poland’s history”.
“In November and December (…) we will train about 20,000 people”
The program will provide a basic security course, survival training, medical training, and cyber hygiene lessons.
“Only in November and December (…) we will train about 20,000 people in individual training, but the total number, in terms of all forms of training, is about 100,000 people,” said Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk at a press conference.
Next year, the ministry plans to train approximately 400,000 people “individually, in groups, within the ‘Military Education’, reservist training, and voluntary military service”, added Tomczyk.
Interested citizens can enroll in the military training program through an official mobile application, which is widely used in Poland.
Details, HERE