Poland to expand army to 230,000 soldiers by end of 2025

Poland will increase the size of its armed forces to 230,000 soldiers by the end of 2025, Polish Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced.

“The number of troops will continue to increase. By the end of the year, it should amount to about 230,000 soldiers, including more than 150,000 professional soldiers,” Kosiniak-Kamysz stated, Caliber.Az reports via international media.

He also emphasized efforts to streamline the recruitment process for military service and military academies, making enlistment more accessible.

Additionally, Poland will raise its defence spending to a historic level. Prime Minister Donald Tusk presented the 2025 budget on August 28, 2024, highlighting that the country will allocate approximately 186 billion zlotys (€48.5 billion or $52.6 billion) to strengthening its national defence.

“This amount is significantly higher than defence spending in 2024, which already exceeds 4 per cent of GDP. This requires great efforts, but there is no turning back,” Tusk said at a press conference in Warsaw.

Polish Deputy Defence Minister Stanisław Wziątek confirmed that the country’s defence spending will rise to 4.7 per cent of GDP in 2025. According to NATO data, Poland’s defence budget in 2024 already reached 4.12 per cent of GDP, making it the highest among all NATO members.

By comparison, Estonia ranks second with 3.43 per cent, and the United States follows in third place with 3.38 per cent. Poland also leads all EU nations in terms of defence spending.

Meanwhile, Lithuania has also announced an increase in its defence budget. In 2025, the country plans to allocate 3.2 per cent of GDP to defence, securing fourth place within NATO in military spending.

Against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, now in its third year, NATO member states are increasing their defence spending. The alliance set a standard in 2014 that each member should allocate at least 2 per cent of GDP to military expenditures, a target that more nations are now reaching.

Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg previously stated that member nations would raise their defence budgets by an average of 18 per cent in 2024, marking the most significant increase in decades.

Germany, which had not met the 2 per cent GDP threshold in over 20 years, achieved this goal in 2024. The country’s defence budget reached a record €90.6 billion ($98.3 billion), equating to 2.12 per cent of GDP.

By Tamilla Hasanova