In a statement marking a significant shift in Poland’s defense strategy, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Friday, March 7, that his government is preparing to recruit and extensively train men to build a military force of approximately 500,000 troops.
In his speech before the Lower House of the Polish Parliament, Tusk made it clear that the government is not considering a return to compulsory military service but rather a reserve system based on the Swiss model. “Today, we are talking about the need for an army of half a million soldiers in Poland,” he declared. In the Swiss model, all men must serve in the military or an alternative civilian service, while women can volunteer. In the Polish case, recruitment will be exclusively for men.
The country has been continually expanding its armed forces in recent years. In 2023, the Polish army had approximately 200,000 soldiers, with a plan to reach 220,000 this year and 300,000 in 2026. However, Tusk’s government considers that the Russian threat requires even greater preparedness.
Tusk’s announcement comes just one day after the extraordinary summit on March 6, where European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outlined ambitious plans for European rearmament. Although the meeting did not explicitly address measures such as mass recruitment, Poland’s decision could set a precedent for other EU member states.
The idea of reintroducing conscription has also been publicly pondered in Europe since the start of the Ukraine war. Nine EU countries already have compulsory military service in place, with some having had it historically (Cyprus, Greece, Austria, Denmark, Estonia and Finland) or have reintroduced it in recent years, like Sweden, Latvia and Lithuania. Last year Denmark announced it would extend compulsory military service to women from 2026. Just this past Sunday, Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs said that all European countries should “absolutely” be introducing conscription in the face of the threat of Russian aggression.
In Germany, Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz has also made clear his intention to strengthen Europe’s nuclear deterrence. “We must talk about sharing nuclear weapons… we need to strengthen ourselves together in nuclear deterrence,” he stated in an interview with Deutschlandfunk. Merz alluded to the possibility of France and the United Kingdom making their nuclear arsenals available for a collective European strategy. However, this proposal faces significant obstacles, as the United Kingdom is no longer part of the EU, and France has always maintained strict control over its nuclear deterrence, and Emmanuel Macron has also hinted at this possibility several times.
While EU leaders are fervently pushing for larger militaries, public opinion on the continent does not seem aligned with that fervor. According to a 2024 Gallup International survey, less than half of Europeans are willing to fight for their country in a war. In the EU countries, the average willingness to fight is 32%, with the citizens of Eastern EU member states being somewhat more ready to take up arms (39%) than their Western counterparts (29%). The countries with the lowest willingness include Italy (78%), Austria (62%), Germany (57%), and Spain (53%).
These results reflect a profound cultural shift in Europe, where Brussels’ policies have weakened national identity and social cohesion. Many national governments, influenced by post-national narratives, have promoted a vision in which any expression of patriotism is labeled as “far-right” or “fascist”, but now purportedly expect their citizens to join the military in large numbers and fight for their countries (and Europe) if needed.
