**Poland Considers Mandatory Military Service**
Poland may bring back compulsory military service to protect itself from growing threats from Russia and Belarus. This news was shared with Polish Radio on March 29.
Poland shares borders with Russia’s heavily militarized Kaliningrad exclave and Belarus. The country has been strengthening its military since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began.
“We think that the return of mandatory military service is inevitable,” said Major General Maciej Klisz, operational commander of Poland’s Armed Forces. He cited Finland as an example, where nearly one million people out of a population of 5.5 million serve as reservists.
To match this ratio, Poland would need to have around 7 million reserve soldiers. Currently, the country has just over 300,000 reservists. General Jaroslaw Kraszewski also spoke in favor of mandatory military service and said that women should be included in conscription.
**Previous Plans**
Last month, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced plans to introduce large-scale military training for all adult men to strengthen the country’s reserve forces. This program will start in 2026 and does not amount to a reinstatement of mandatory military service.
Poland hopes to increase its army size to better match the Russian threat. The country would likely be among the first targets in a potential NATO-Russia confrontation.
**Defense Spending**
Tusk has also urged NATO allies to increase defense spending, saying that if all European members matched Poland’s budget, NATO’s military expenditures would be 10 times greater than Russia’s.
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