Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Friday that his government is preparing to implement "large-scale military training" for every adult male, aiming to more than double the size of the army in case of a war with Russia.
Tusk also stated that Poland will significantly expand its arsenal, emphasizing that the country “must pursue the most advanced capabilities, including nuclear and modern unconventional weapons.”
He unveiled these plans in a speech to the Polish Parliament on the same day that former U.S. President Donald Trump, after weeks of weakening U.S. support for Ukraine and its European allies, threatened to impose expanded “large-scale” sanctions and tariffs on Russia until it agrees to a peace deal with Ukraine.
“We aim to have a model ready by the end of this year so that every adult male in Poland is trained in case of war, ensuring our reserve force is comparable and adequate to the potential threats," Tusk said.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine three years ago deeply shocked many Polish leaders. Once under Communist rule behind the so-called Iron Curtain and controlled by the Soviet Union, Poland has historically been a long-standing adversary of Russia.
Tusk also told lawmakers he intends to increase the size of the Polish army to 500,000 soldiers, up from its current force of approximately 200,000.
“We’re talking about the necessity of having an army of half a million in Poland, including reservists,” he said.
Additionally, Polish women may also be required to undergo military training, though Tusk acknowledged that “war is still, to a greater extent, the domain of men.”
Currently, over 7,000 women serve on active duty in the Polish army, according to government data. Polish women have a long history of fighting for their country, including as guerrilla fighters in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising against the Germans.
At present, Ukraine’s military consists of 800,000 soldiers, engaging in combat against a Russian force of approximately 1.3 million, Tusk noted.
As a NATO member—a military alliance established after World War II to counter the Soviet Union—Poland has been one of the United States' most steadfast allies and a strong supporter of Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
