Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Friday 7 March that all adult men in Poland will soon be required to undergo ‘large-scale military training’ in a plan to increase the size of the Polish army in preparation for a possible war with Russia.
He plans on more than doubling the army
Tusk revealed that he aims to increase the size of the Polish army from 200,000 to 500,000 soldiers, making it more than double its current size.
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He also aims to expand the military’s arsenal drastically, saying that he would have Poland “pursue the most advanced capabilities”, as per NBC News.
Trump has been tightening the grip on Ukraine and Russia
Trump has been weakening military support for Ukraine in the past few weeks, with him telling Zelenskyy he’s ‘gambling with world war III’ on 28 February. But the American President has also threatened to impose ‘large-scale’ sanctions on Russia until its war with Ukraine is resolved.
The Polish Prime Minister shared his plans of expanding the military with the Polish Parliament on the same day that Trump made this threat to Russia, fearing unexpected actions from the latter.
Tusk would like to be prepared by the end of the year
As reported by the BBC, Tusk said, “We will try to have a model ready by the end of this year so that every adult male in Poland is trained in the event of war, so that this reserve is comparable and adequate to the potential threats.”
Tusk wants the army to be half a million
The Polish Prime Minister pointed out the size of the Russian and Ukrainian armies, with Russia having 1.3 million soldiers and Ukraine 800,000. He then plans on taking the Polish army from 200,000 soldiers to 500,000.
“We’re talking about the need to have an army of half a million in Poland, including the reservists,” Tusk said.
He aims to make every man prepared for war
“It seems if we organize things wisely, and I’m talking constantly with the Minister of Defence, we will have to use several courses of action. That means the reservists, but also intensive training to make those who do not go into the army fully-fledged and competent soldiers during a conflict,” Tusk said.
Women might also be required to undergo the training
Donald Tusk added that women might also undergo military training but that “war is still to a greater extent the domain of men”.
According to Polish government figures, there are more than 7,000 women already on active duty in the Polish army.
Tusk also plans on expanding Poland’s arsenal
The prime minister also pointed out his plans to expand Poland’s arsenal, saying, as reported by NBC, that the country “must pursue the most advanced capabilities, including nuclear and modern unconventional weapons.”
He also said, “Today, it is clear that we would be safer if we had our own nuclear arsenal, that is beyond doubt. In any case the road to that would be very long and there would have to be a consensus too,” according to BBC.
