Funding from the bank tax, priority for Polish-made equipment in army procurement, and the creation of a new service to support police officers, border guards and firefighters – these are among the defense proposals put forward by Law and Justice (PiS). They were presented on Saturday by former Minister of National Defence Mariusz Błaszczak.
On Saturday in Stalowa Wola, Law and Justice (PiS) organized a convention devoted to defense issues. It was opened by former head of the Ministry of National Defence, Mariusz Błaszczak, who strongly criticized the SAFE program. He argued that the EU loan amounts to blackmail by Brussels against the European Union. The PiS vice president presented his party’s ideas for strengthening the armed forces.
Speaking about a secure defense budget, he stated that it should be financed, among other sources, from the bank tax. “Banks, both in ’24 and in ’25, recorded record profits. In ’24 it was over PLN 40 billion, and in ’25 it is estimated at over PLN 50 billion. A significant part of these profits should be allocated to defense, and this should be a source,” he said.
As another source of defense funding, he pointed to allocating 1.5 percent of personal income tax (PIT). “I am convinced that this is very important, because then each of us would feel that we participate in the process of building the strength of the Polish army. Of course, there is no obligation, it is a matter of goodwill, and I am sure that many of our compatriots would choose this goal,” he stated.
Błaszczak also recalled an earlier proposal – “Polish army, Polish equipment.” The idea is that equipment produced by the Polish defense industry would receive statutory preference in procurement for the Polish Armed Forces.
The PiS vice president also wants to establish a Polish equivalent of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency – a U.S. research and development agency responsible for the creation of cutting-edge technologies. “We are a nation of ambitious people, a nation of educated people – let us create a forum so that all those who have ideas, who are creative, can use their ideas for the good of our homeland,” he said.
Another program proposal is the creation of a Center for Lessons Learned Analysis – a formula that would make it possible to prepare for conflict. “Of course we do not want war, but the point is that all the conclusions drawn from wartime experiences […] and projections concerning future wars should meet in one place, from which military commanders could draw knowledge […],” he stated.
Błaszczak also wants to introduce a basic equipment standard for soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces, as in his view the “Szpej” operation responsible for this is “an empty shell.” “So that there are no doubts,” he added.
The opposition party also plans to establish a Defense Industry Development Fund. “The point is for the government to financially support companies that have the capacity and potential to create new solutions. It is also about ensuring that these new solutions can be verified within the Polish Armed Forces, because in order to be sure that a given solution is beneficial, it must be tested,” he said, adding that this should be regulated by statute.
The former head of the Ministry of National Defence also wants to create a new formation inspired by the French gendarmerie and the Italian Carabinieri. “We have a proposal […] to create a new service modeled on the military, ready to support the Polish Police, the Border Guard and the State Fire Service whenever needed. We also wanted to relieve the Territorial Defence Forces,” he stated.
As Błaszczak conveyed, Law and Justice (PiS) also commits that if Poles entrust his party with power, its representatives will immediately begin negotiations with the United States on participation in the Nuclear Sharing program.
The party also wants to establish a Headquarters of the Republic of Poland. “The point is to create a headquarters resistant to attacks, to establish a National Command Center… A second Pentagon in Poland,” he said.