Poland is on track to become the European Union’s military superpower, an article published by Politico Europe suggests, citing the country’s unmatched efforts to bolster its military’s capabilities.
In their “Meet Europe’s Coming Military Superpower: Poland” article, authors Mathew Karnitschnig and Wojciech Mość quoted Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who days ago, on the eve of Poland’s independence day, said: “The Polish army must be so powerful that it does not have to fight due to its strength alone.”
The authors note that Poland’s actions have by no means gone unnoticed by their allies the United States, citing a senior U.S. Army official in Europe who recently said that in light of the role Poland has played in supporting Ukraine and bolstering NATO defenses in the Baltics, Poland has proven itself as “[the U.S.’] most important partner in continental Europe.”
The same official went on to say that although “Germany, traditionally America’s key ally in the region, remains a linchpin as a logistical hub, Berlin’s endless debates over how to resurrect its military and lack of a strategic culture have hampered its effectiveness as a partner.”
Furthermore, while Germany spent a mere 1.5% of its GDP on national defense last year, Poland recently stated that it would be raising its defense spending from 2.4% of its GDP to 5%—by far the highest relative to other NATO countries’ defense spending levels.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Karnitschnig and Mość point to the fact that Poland, with a target of 300,000 troops by 2035, is set to have an army that’s significantly larger than Germany’s, which at present has 170,000 men and women. The authors also note that Poland has more tanks and howitzers than Germany too.
