In the current situation of threats, the Polish military system, the defense system, requires reconstruction and profound change. The entire North Atlantic Alliance system also needs changes. The perspective was changed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 – which exposed many weaknesses of our country. Weaknesses as a member of NATO, but also of the Polish army. It turns out that we need to verify the actions that the Polish army has been preparing for so far – expeditionary actions, missions in hotspots around the world. Unfortunately, we must consider the type of conflict from the past – territorial war. This means that defense spending needs to be increased, more effective, modern equipment is needed – for example efficient air defense, anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense. This is key resistance potential. Offensive systems are also necessary, which can strike at great distances – because this discourages the enemy. This means the return of rocket artillery in the form of Himars launchers and artillery.
“The open question is how large an army we need, and what this amount should result from. The second aspect is the purchase of equipment – the most recent acceleration and large orders are not enough. A systemic approach is needed, smart building of armed forces – without multiplying commands,” Maciej Matysiak, expert Foundation Stratpoints and lecturer at ANS Gniezno, told eNewsroom.pl. “It is necessary to create the potential of the armed forces from the bottom, from the executors – in military language, building combat battalions first, and then the command structure. Optimistically it can be said that Ukraine is potentially buying us a lot of time. We do not know if the threat from Russia will materialize – but it exists and will continue to exist. Therefore, we need to prepare for it. The stronger Ukraine we will have, the smaller the threat from Russia will be. This gives Poland time to allow for systematic, calm building of the armed forces. The primary goal is for them to be efficient – not to make mistakes, that we will buy equipment and we will not have soldiers to operate it. Training elements are important – both pilots of new airplanes and helicopters, as well as tank crews. Economic issues must also be considered, as 150,000, 200,000, or 300,000 soldiers imply additional costs. These people need to be taken out of the labor market, they need to be encouraged to dedicate their professional lives and commit to the armed forces for at least 20 years. Hence, there must be economic incentives. Therefore, to create effective and numerous armed forces, conditions must be created at every level,” Matysiak emphasizes.
