We will still have to wait for the widely announced military training. More than two quarters after the promises were made, the Ministry of National Defence has only just established a team to develop the program.
“At present, preparations are underway for large-scale military training for every adult man in Poland,” said Donald Tusk in the Sejm at the beginning of March. The Prime Minister added that the model was expected to be ready by the end of the year.
This spring, a debate emerged over whether the military training would be voluntary or mandatory for all citizens. The announcement, thrown into the public sphere, was widely discussed in the media and interpreted by politicians. As part of his presidential campaign, Rafał Trzaskowski took part in a one-day military training session, though it did not bring him a significant rise in the polls.
What’s next for these announcements?
After several months, the topic vanished from the public radar. However, politicians have not forgotten about it. Law and Justice (PiS) MP Paweł Jabłoński addressed questions on the matter to the Ministry of National Defence.
“I would like to kindly explain that, in order to implement the military training project, the Minister of National Defence has established—by an appropriate decision—a Team for the Development of the ‘Universal Voluntary Defence Training Program’,” wrote Deputy Minister of National Defence Paweł Bejda in response to a parliamentary inquiry.
In the same letter, Deputy Minister Bejda assured that the first pilot training sessions are to begin in 2025, with full implementation planned for 2026.
Jabłoński recalled that, according to the original declarations, the program was supposed to be ready “within a few weeks.” Commenting on the fact that after seven months the government is only at the stage of forming a team, he wrote on platform X, “unbelievable.“