In an attempt to prepare Polish citizens for a potential military conflict, the Polish ministry of defence offers people between the ages of 15 and 65 the opportunity to receive military training with the army during the upcoming winter holidays. The program is being held for the second time and is promoted as an “adventure,” titled “Train With The Army.” The ministry hopes that the program will provide citizens with basic military skills as well as encourage more volunteers to sign up for the armed forces.
The number of available spots for the training has been doubled to 8,000 compared to its first edition in autumn. Back then, demand by far exceeded the available spots. The training will take place during the Polish holiday period known as ‘ferie,’ and will last from mid-January until the end of February. The training is free of charge and each session will last eight hours. Participants will receive training in weapon handling, basic survival skills, close combat, and first aid.
A tweet by the ministry of defence promotes the program as “time well spent, but also an adventure,” adding that “each training finishes with a campfire to sum up the day.” According to Minister of Defence Mariusz Błaszczak, the ministry is “not hiding” the fact that it hopes “to encourage all those who have not yet decided what they want to do in the future to serve in the Polish army.”
Such encouragement fits quite neatly into Poland’s plans to bolster its national defence. Already in March, President Andrzej Duda signed a bill that would boost military spending to 3% of the GDP, one of the highest rates in NATO. In November, this number was increased (the European Conservative reported) to 5% of the GDP, which would make Polish relative military spending by far the highest among all NATO member states. The plan is also for the Polish army to double its number of troops, aiming for a grand total of 300,000 soldiers by 2035—which explains the civilian training program with its clear emphasis on recruitment.
