We must begin speaking openly about threats. We must restore mandatory military service – said the head of the National Security Bureau (BBN), Prof. Sławomir Cenckiewicz, in a radio interview. He emphasized that reinstating conscription is “part of a broader plan” to build Poland’s universal defense system. “We should strive for this as soon as possible. We must ensure people who will not only strengthen the army, but who will also know how to recognize threats, assist civilians, and organize effective resistance”, Gen. Dariusz Wroński told Gazeta Polska Codziennie. “No reasonable person will say ‘no’, but restoring conscription requires many measures, such as rebuilding infrastructure that during the governments of Civic Platform (PO) was sold off or simply left to decay”, said Wojciech Skurkiewicz, former deputy defense minister.
There is a good opportunity for those who suspended it to now reinstate it. That is what I believe, but it is part of a broader plan. We must begin speaking openly about threats. We must restore mandatory military service; we must devote more time to training society and creating alternative sites for the protection of civilians – said the head of the BBN, Prof. Cenckiewicz, in an interview for RMF FM. According to Cenckiewicz, it is essential that we stop thinking in terms of an unthreatened peace and begin developing alternatives to peacetime structures, which would guarantee us maximum security in case of war.
“We must create non-peacetime alternatives: places for hospitals, for conducting operations during wartime activities. We currently do not have any of this, and building such capabilities is a major effort for all of us. I believe the president will gladly sign legislation that pushes these matters forward” – said the head of the BBN.
Not Only About the Strength of the Army
“We should strive to restore conscription as soon as possible”, Gen. Dariusz Wroński told Gazeta Polska Codziennie. He outlined why reinstating mandatory service makes sense. “It would, of course, strengthen the Polish Army. Mandatory service guarantees properly trained individuals who will be compatible with colleagues serving in the operational forces. In case of necessity, the army will not need to train them from scratch on equipment, weapons, procedures, etc.” – said Wroński.
The second aspect the general highlighted is avoiding “roundups” and corruption if a draft must be carried out urgently during mobilization.
“A functioning conscription system requires rebuilding structures and procedures that become clear both for the army and for citizens. We will also avoid cases of ‘buying out’ or attempts to secure disqualification in the face of war. Such situations are happening now in Ukraine, but not only there. Universal service during peacetime limits such pathologies later on” – Wroński noted.
The third aspect is the mass of trained individuals forming so-called universal defense.
“Military training is not only, as many think, shooting or digging trenches. It includes a range of skills and behaviors instilled during such training. Those who complete the service would not only strengthen the army but would act as a stabilizing element among civilians. They would know how to recognize threats, how to protect others, provide assistance, support the injured, etc. They would also be able to organize effective resistance and assess its chances if necessary” – said Gen. Wroński.
Restoring conscription, as Wroński admits, is necessary and reasonable, but requires large-scale action. “After conscription was suspended (the last draft took place in 2008, and formally conscription has been suspended since 2010 – editor’s note), it is now necessary to rebuild not only the internal structures of the army but also infrastructure enabling mandatory military service. It also requires substantial financial effort” – said Wroński.
Universal State Service
Former deputy defense minister, Law and Justice (PiS) senator Wojciech Skurkiewicz, also emphasizes how much must be done to reinstate conscription.
“When conscription was suspended under the PO government, the military infrastructure serving mandatory service was either sold off, transferred to local governments, or simply left to decay. Now it must be rebuilt. Under the governments of Law and Justice, we began this process because it was linked to expanding opportunities for citizens to serve in their own army. The Territorial Defence Forces (WOT) were created, allowing Poles of various ages to apply; we shortened basic training from 3 months to 28 days, and we introduced voluntary mandatory service” – Skurkiewicz said.
All this, he stressed, brought citizens closer to the army but also required adequate military infrastructure.
The proposal supported by the head of the BBN is strongly endorsed by Michał Dworczyk, deputy defense minister in the Morawiecki government, now a PiS MEP.
“Not only historical examples but also the example of Ukraine show how important large personnel reserves for the Armed Forces are. These can be ensured only by universal training. Once again, I thank the head of the BBN for this important declaration and an important voice in the cross-party public debate. We urgently need to rebuild personnel reserves for Poland’s security and reinstate the obligation to serve Poland, which is rooted in our constitution. The head of state, as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland, is naturally positioned to host this debate” – Dworczyk wrote in response to Cenckiewicz’s words.
According to Dworczyk, the return of mandatory service would be one element of universal state service, the principles of which were outlined by experts from the Eastern Flank Institute and the Sobieski Institute in their report “Universal State Service. A Program for Building Personnel Reserves for the Security of the Republic of Poland”. “Unfavorable demographic and cultural trends, combined with the lack or severe insufficiency of citizen training, are increasingly reducing the number of trained personnel reserves that the state may rely on in times of crisis or war. This is not only about conscripts, although the staffing needs of the Armed Forces are crucial and we cannot rely solely on the archaic idea of a ‘professional army’. We must once again engage citizens in serving the state and ensure that such service is a source of pride, not an unpleasant obligation” – the report’s authors stated.
Most Poles “In Favor”
A few days ago, Wirtualna Polska published a poll conducted by United Surveys. According to this study, more than half of Poles – 59.4% – believe that due to the current international situation, Poland should reinstate mandatory military service. Opposing this were 30.9% of respondents. Another 9.7% had no opinion.
The trend toward reinstating mandatory service is a fact in our region. Currently, mandatory conscription exists in nine NATO countries in Europe: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, and Turkey. Croatia plans to reinstate it next year. Our western neighbor, Germany, is also not ruling out reinstating conscription if the threat from Russia increases. Preparations are already underway. Last week, the Bundestag adopted a motion under which, starting next year, 18-year-olds will undergo eligibility assessments. Once qualified, conscripts may join voluntarily. However, if the number of volunteers is too low, the new regulations allow for a lottery, effectively drafting selected Germans into the army.
Read more in “Gazeta Polska Codziennie”!