Poland’s prime minister said on Tuesday the country aims to put 100,000 volunteers through military training in 2027 as it seeks to build an army of reservists.
Donald Tusk’s comments follow an announcement on Friday that Poland would make voluntary military training available to all adult men by the end of 2025 as Warsaw increases its military amid fears of a Russian threat.
“In addition to the professional army and in addition to the Territorial Defence Force, we have to build a de facto army of reservists, and that is what our actions are aimed at,” Tusk said on Tuesday.
He added the training would make use of the “potential, knowledge and skills of veterans.”
“We’re talking about great soldiers who have completed service in [special forces unit] GROM, the... commandos; we will use their knowledge, their skills, to create a center provisionally called the ‘Second Mission,’” the prime minister said. “They will be indispensable in this training.”
Tusk added that incentives for volunteers would include the chance to obtain a truck driver’s license, as well as specialist training needed in modern warfare, including the use of drones.
Galvanized by Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine three years ago, Poland now spends a higher proportion of GDP on defense than any other NATO member.
