Poland received the M1A2 "Abrams" main battle tank.

  Recently, Poland has launched a number of measures in the field of defense to accelerate the construction of military forces. As US President Trump begins his second term, uncertainty in U.S.-EU relations has increased significantly. Against this background, Poland intends to balance its own security demands with a "militarized survival" strategy. Its large-scale arms expansion plan has attracted widespread attention from the outside world, and public opinion is generally concerned that it will exacerbate regional tensions.

  Military training is universal

  According to foreign media reports, at the instruction of Polish Prime Minister Tusk, the Polish Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Armed Forces jointly formulated the "National Adult Men's Military Training Plan". The plan is for Polish male citizens aged 18 to 65. As long as their physical conditions meet the standards, they must participate in military training. The training content covers 32 projects including urban street fighting and nuclear pollution decontamination. The Military Training Bureau and the Mobilization Bureau under the Polish Ministry of Defense will work with all military branches to design training courses.

  The training targets are divided into three categories: the first category is those who have not received military training. They will first receive 1 to 3 days of civil defense basic and battlefield rescue knowledge training, and then conduct a one-month special military training; the second category is those under 50 years old, with military experience or have received a certain professional training, and will undergo about 1 week of individual combat skills intensive training, including fire fighting training, emergency medical services, military terrainology and other combat skills training; the third category is reserve personnel over 50 years old, who mainly receive professional training in mine clearance, obstacle clearance and medical logistics. It is estimated that by 2027, at least 100,000 people in Poland will receive military skills training.

  Tusk said that by the end of this year, the training plan will form a mature model that aims to quickly mobilize and cultivate reserve military forces in wartime. Polish Defense Minister Kamesh stressed that the plan will develop a personalized roadmap for different training groups to ensure that everyone can choose the appropriate training content. In addition, the Polish government proposed to expand the size of troops from the current 210,000 to 500,000 by 2035. The implementation of the "National Adult Men's Military Training Program" is actually equivalent to the disguised restoration of the compulsory military service system that has been interrupted for many years.

  At the same time, the Polish Ministry of Defense established the National University of Defense Technology, aiming to cultivate military professionals in cutting-edge technology fields such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing through cooperation with private enterprises.

  Weapons and equipment upgrades

  While accelerating the expansion of troops, the modernization process of Polish armed forces continues to accelerate. Relying on NATO's "collective defense" transformation and the EU's "re-arming Europe" framework, Poland comprehensively promoted equipment construction, implemented multiple weapons and equipment procurement plans simultaneously, and gradually formed a "mixed installation of the United States, South Korea and Europe".

  In terms of the army, in February this year, the Polish Army officially accepted 28 US-made M1A2 "Abrams" main battle tanks and 14 South Korean K2GF "Black Panther" main battle tanks. In March, foreign ministers of Poland and South Korea held consultations on military product exports. In April, the two sides signed the second batch of K2GF "Black Panther" tank procurement contracts, and planned to deliver 82 new tanks by the end of the year. The Polish Gtansk military factory plans to start the construction of this type of tank production line in the second half of the year, and cooperate with the Polish Ordnance Group to carry out the joint research and development project of the local version of the "Black Panther" main battle tank. In addition, Poland will continue to promote the upgrade and transformation project of the German-made "Leopard" 2A7 main battle tank. Foreign media pointed out that this "three-line parallel" armored force construction model is the main measure of the Polish military to build the so-called "strongest army in Europe".

  In the Air Force, Poland accelerates the elimination of old Soviet-style equipment. With the F-35A fighter jets being questioned by some European countries, Poland chose to continue purchasing and plans to receive 32 of the fighters of this type by 2026 to completely replace the MiG-29 and Su-22 fighters. At the same time, Poland ordered 12 South Korean FA-50 light attack aircraft to further enrich its Air Force combat aircraft model system. Poland also plans to purchase 6 sets of Patriot-3 air defense systems to build a multi-layer interception network with the US land-based Aegis system deployed in the country. In addition, Poland officially joined the European "Future Air Warfare System" project, cooperated with Germany and France, and deeply participated in the European defense autonomous core project.

  In the Navy, Poland announced that it would introduce three British-made frigates and cooperate with South Korea to promote the research and construction of the Killer Whale-class submarine.

  In order to support this series of large-scale military purchase projects, Poland has significantly increased its military expenditure. In 2025, Poland's military expenditure accounts for 4.7% of its GDP, a significant increase from before, far exceeding the 2% standard set by NATO. According to the plan, this proportion may exceed 5% in 2026, and Poland will be among the countries with the highest proportion of global military expenditure to GDP.

  Refraction safety anxiety

  Foreign media analysts believe that Poland's measures to strengthen military construction reflect the widespread security anxiety in its country. Survey data shows that at present, more than 78% of Polish people support increasing national defense investment, an increase of 36 percentage points from three years ago.

  From the NATO level, Poland has gradually become the core fulcrum of NATO's eastern wing security architecture with its high military expenditure. By creating the "Eastern Shield" defense system and the "enhanced frontier existence" cooperation mechanism, Poland has attracted NATO military forces to settle in. At present, the United States, Germany and Canada have 42,000 troops stationed in Poland, and have deployed a large number of M1A2 "Abrams" main battle tanks and F-35 series fighter jets. Poland hopes to enhance its voice in NATO through its "defense contribution", but this move also places itself at the strategic frontier of the game between great powers.

  Within the EU framework, the EU has proposed initiatives such as "re-arming Europe" and "permanent structural cooperation" to further strengthen Poland's determination to expand its arms. Poland's massive increase in military spending is in line with the EU's proposed incentive policies such as "defense loans" and "fiscal deficit exemptions". Poland intends to gain leadership in missile production, joint weapons procurement and other fields, and promote Europe's future defense agenda. However, this trend may intensify Poland's "war economy" model, further arouse dissatisfaction among the people at home, and add more unstable factors to the regional situation. (Xi Jing)

[Editor in charge: Wang Jinzhi]