Poland intends to conduct a large-scale mobilization that will cover more than 300 thousand citizens, including reservists, recruits, and volunteers. This plan includes the creation of 20,000 new positions in the professional military service, which is 6,500 more than last year, as well as the recruitment of 200,000 reservists and 83,700 auxiliary corps employees.
This measure by the Ministry of National Defence involves calling up over 200,000 citizens for an assessment of their physical capabilities and to determine their assignment to a military unit in case of mobilization. This is the largest mobilization in recent years and will affect both men and women under 60 years old. Citizens must report to the designated recruitment center to have their physical data and knowledge checked, after which they will become reservists and be temporarily assigned to a military corps.
Unjustified refusal or failure to appear for conscription may result in a fine or forced detention by the police, according to the Fatherland Protection Law. Furthermore, if deemed appropriate, some of these reservists will undergo training lasting up to 90 consecutive days.
This strategy reflects Warsaw's ambitions declared after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022—to build the strongest army in Europe. According to the Ministry of National Defence, the Polish Armed Forces already exceed 220,000 military personnel, compared to 130,000 before the war. The goal is to reach 300,000 active military personnel and up to 500,000 including reserves by 2039.
To finance the increase in the size of the armed forces, the budget allocated for defense will amount to about 4.8% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2026, compared to 4.7% in the previous year. For 2027, the Polish state forecasts expenditures of approximately 4.5%.