The government and military leadership aim for the forces to consist of 500,000 soldiers by 2039: about 250,000 professional military service soldiers, 50,000 Territorial Defense Force members, and 200,000 reservists.
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This expansion, during which the number of active service soldiers has increased by about 5,000 since the beginning of the year, is happening as Poland actively conducts recruitment and military training.
Initiatives include military education programs, one-day training for civilians, and the “Summer with the Army” program. Volunteers can also complete one-month basic military training, followed by special training for those seeking to become professional soldiers.
The government is also increasing civilian preparedness. Under the nationwide “Always Ready” program, started at the end of 2025 and expanded this year, voluntary training is offered in areas such as first aid, survival, emergency response, and cybersecurity.
Poland’s military strengthening accelerated after Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Warsaw is also responding to concerns about sabotage and other hybrid threats attributed to Moscow.
Poland allocated about 4.7% of its gross domestic product (GDP) to defense in 2025 – the largest share among NATO members, and this year Warsaw aims to increase spending to 5 percent.
With more than 220,000 active service soldiers, Poland has the third largest army in NATO after the USA and Turkey.
