Poland's Military Expansion: A Growing Number of Civilians Train for War

As Warsaw pushes to double its army and reservists to about 500,000 people to counter Russian aggression, a growing number of Poles, including civilians like Katarzyna Rozkosz-Blachowska, are enrolling on military training courses. Rozkosz-Blachowska, a 46-year-old beauty entrepreneur, is one of the oldest and most committed participants of a 1-month camp at the 1st Warsaw Armoured Brigade. The camp, part of the paid "Holidays with the Army" programme, aims to give citizens a taste of army life and encourage them to join the reserves or regular forces.

Key Takeaways:

• Poland's military has opened 10,000 slots for volunteers below the age of 35, with 77% of participants being male and over half aged between 18 and 20.
• The army's "Holidays with the Army" programme is a paid initiative that allows civilians to experience army life, with participants earning around 4,000 zlotys (€930) for their 28 days of training.
• Second Lieutenant Artur Rzepka, an instructor at the camp, noted that teaching the volunteers, who have no prior military experience, is a challenging task, especially when it comes to following orders.
• The Polish government has pledged to double the troop count and is relying on voluntary schemes, including summer camps and basic military training in secondary schools, to meet recruitment targets.
• Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz claimed that there is no problem with people wanting to join the army in Poland, distinguishing it from many western European countries.
• Analysts question whether Poland can meet its recruitment targets without reintroducing mandatory service, which was abolished in 2009, amidst concerns about labour shortages and demographic decline.

Statistics:

• Poland has the largest military among European Nato members, apart from Turkey, with an estimated 500,000 troops.
• The army's summer camp had 48 civilians enrolled, with 10 dropping out due to the demanding schedule.
• Katarzyna Rozkosz-Blachowska, the oldest and most committed participant, earned 4,000 zlotys (€930) for her 28 days of training.
• 78% of 18- to 29-year-olds would not be willing to make sacrifices for the defence of Poland, according to a recent poll by research firm Ibris.
• The willingness to sacrifice among this age group is "alarmingly low", said Marcin Duma, CEO of Ibris.

Sources:

• "I'm a patriotic Polish woman. If something really happens, I will not flee but stay and fight if necessary" - Katarzyna Rozkosz-Blachowska, beauty entrepreneur and army trainee.
• "We are not discussing conscription because we have no problem with [finding] volunteers" - Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
• "With this new Russian danger on our eastern side, we need at least to think about some kind of conscription again" - Bartosz Marczuk, former deputy minister for family, labour and social policy.
• Nato data: Estimated military personnel, selected countries ('000) 500 Turkey 400 300 Poland 200 France UK 100 0 2014 2020 2024 (Source: Nato).