Starting in January 2026, Poland will launch mandatory medical checks for approximately 235,000 citizens. The measure, announced on Monday, July 14th, is intended primarily as an audit of the population’s readiness for potential military service.
The aim is to assess the physical and mental fitness of young people to determine their ability to serve in future conflicts. However, some participants aged 50 and above will also be examined to gauge the general state of the population. Currently, all adults under 60 are eligible to take part in week-long training programmes at the Land Forces Military Academy.
Men—and some women—aged 19 and older will receive a summons to attend a district medical board. There, they will undergo a physical exam and be interviewed by a military official. The findings will be recorded in the military registry, and each person will be given the rank of private. Those who choose to volunteer can join the armed forces; those who don’t will be placed in the “passive reserve.”
Women selected for the process are chosen in part based on their education, professional training, or jobs—especially in fields with “dual-use” value, such as medicine and aviation—though there remains some debate over whether women should serve in combat roles.
Those who opt for a military career at the end of the process may join Poland’s regular army, which has 153,800 professional soldiers and 19,600 conscripts. They would also be supported by the 37,000-strong Territorial Defence Forces, made up of reservists.
