Poland needs to significantly increase the size of its army, but this will be difficult to achieve due to the demographic crisis and aging population. This was stated by the Polish general Weslaw Kukula, transmits Reuters. He emphasized that the expansion of the armed forces is critically necessary for the defense of the country, since, in his opinion, Poland will inevitably face a military threat in the near future.
“Everything points to the fact that we are the generation that will take up arms to defend the country. And neither I, nor any of you, intend to lose this war.” – said Kukula during a speech at the University of the Ground Forces in Wroclaw.
He emphasized that victory in the war is the only possibility for Poland to continue its existence and development.
The general also emphasized that demographic problems have a negative impact on the pace of recruitment of new military personnel. According to him, the potential of a potential enemy is so great that Poland needs a significant increase in its armed forces. It also involves the introduction of universal military service, which is currently not compulsory in the country.
According to projections by the Polish Ministry of Defense, the army’s strength is expected to grow to more than 207,500 soldiers by the end of this year, making it the third largest army in NATO after the US and Turkey.
Kukula has also previously said that Poland should be ready for a full-scale conflict, given the strained relations with Russia and Belarus following the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.
After the start of the war in Ukraine, many European countries also began to discuss the need to return to mandatory military service to strengthen their armies against the backdrop of growing threats in the region.
