Poland plans to establish a new rapid-response military reserve category that can be mobilized at very short notice during emergencies, as part of a broader strategy to expand and strengthen its armed forces.
Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz announced in Warsaw on Monday that the new rapid-response reserve unit will be made up of trained reservists who take part in regular military exercises, according to the Polish Press Agency.
The move forms part of the government’s wider effort to significantly increase the size of Poland’s military, including reserve forces and volunteer homeland defense units, with a long-term target of reaching 500,000 personnel by 2039.
Poland’s armed forces currently number around 200,000 troops, making the planned expansion one of the most ambitious military growth programs in Europe.
The country is undergoing a major rearmament drive amid heightened security concerns linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Polish officials have repeatedly cited the regional security environment as a key factor behind the accelerated buildup.
Kosiniak-Kamysz also justified the creation of the new reserve unit by pointing to demographic trends that could reduce the pool of eligible recruits in the coming years, making a more flexible and rapidly deployable reserve force a strategic priority.
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