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Poland wants to more than double the number of its armed forces. At the same time, the service should become more attractive.
Warsaw – The goal is a number of at least 250,000 professional soldiers and 50,000 members of the voluntary troops for territorial defense (WOT), said Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak on Tuesday in Warsaw at the presentation of a “plan to defend the fatherland”. The Polish armed forces currently have 110,000 professional soldiers. An increase in defense spending is also planned, said Blaszczak. The plan provides for new borrowing options. Blaszczak did not give any specific figures. Poland is already one of the NATO states that spend more than two percent of their economic output on defense, the minister emphasized.
Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who is responsible for security issues, said the goal was to “radically strengthen the armed forces”. This is necessary because the security situation is deteriorating. As examples he cited the “imperial ambitions” of the Russian leadership, which wanted to restore the Soviet empire, and the hybrid attacks of the Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko. Warsaw and the EU accuse him of bringing migrants to the EU’s external border in an organized manner.
“If we want to prevent the worst, a war, then we have to act according to the old motto:” If you want peace, prepare for war, “» Kaczynski continued. In order to attract more relatives to the armed forces, Poland wants to introduce a year of voluntary military service, among other things. In addition, the promotion opportunities should be improved and financial incentives created for a longer stay in the army. (dpa)
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