Thousands of Poles have signed up for voluntary military training this year as fears of Russian aggression drive a spike in public interest and a broader push to bolster Poland’s armed forces.
More than 20,000 people registered for voluntary military courses in the first seven months of 2025, and military officials say they expect roughly 40,000 volunteers to complete training by year’s end — more than double the 16,000 who trained in 2022. The rush to enrol has intensified after Poland shot down Russian drones in its airspace this week, marking the first known instance of a NATO member firing on a target linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The recruits include civilians such as Agnieszka Jedruszak, an office administrator who practised digging defensive positions at a training ground in Braniewo, near Poland’s border with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. Trained at a site that echoes with the roar of K-2 tank engines — Warsaw ordered 180 of the South Korean tanks in 2022 — Jedruszak said she wanted the skills to defend her family. “I’d do anything to keep my child safe. And I would definitely want to fight to protect him,” she said.
Poland’s Central Military Recruitment Centre, led by Colonel Grzegorz Wawrzynkiewicz, reported record sign-ups in 2024 and continued high levels this year. Authorities say the volunteer programme is intentionally flexible: participants train alongside professional soldiers and may opt to join the regular military, enter the Territorial Defence Forces (WOT), or become part of the active or passive reserve. Volunteers who join WOT typically serve part time in their home regions and can be mobilised in emergencies or border crises.
Deputy Defence Minister Paweł Zalewski said the reshaping of Poland’s forces aims to strengthen readiness close to the eastern border and to create local employment in historically high-unemployment areas. Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Poland has prioritised mobility, armoured forces, air defence and logistics, and has begun relocating units eastward “so people will be working and serving in places where they’ll be defending their own homes,” Zalewski said.
Poland has sharply increased defence spending since 2022. Military outlays rose from 2.2% of gross domestic product to 4.7% this year — the highest share among the 32 NATO members — and Warsaw plans further expansion of its forces, aiming to grow the military by nearly a third over the next decade. Poland’s armed forces number about 216,000 active personnel, the third-largest in NATO after the United States and Turkey.
The move to boost manpower and capabilities comes amid concerns over Western commitments to collective defence. The return of Donald Trump to the White House and his past scepticism about NATO obligations have prompted some European leaders to press for greater regional self-reliance. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose upbringing under Communist rule shapes his outlook, has urged European countries to take more responsibility for their defence.
Experts say historical memory factors into public willingness to serve. Gustav Gressel, a Russia and defence policy researcher, said societies that experienced Soviet domination are more willing to confront a potential Russian threat. “Countries that have no memory of a Russian occupation or Soviet occupation, for them it’s harder to imagine … what the thing is you’re fighting for,” he said.
Poland has also taken structural steps to harden its borders. In May 2024 the government began construction of a roughly 400-mile “East Shield” along the borders with Belarus and Kaliningrad, combining anti-tank “hedgehogs” with surveillance and electronic warfare systems. Officials say the measures are designed to blunt a cross-border incursion and to improve early warning and response capabilities.
Poland’s recruitment push comes as other European militaries struggle to meet manpower needs. Germany and Britain face persistent shortfalls and retention problems despite increased budgets and new initiatives. Analysts note that NATO’s ability to respond to major Russian aggression still depends heavily on U.S. capabilities for fighter jets, missiles and advanced air defence systems, according to an Atlantic Council analysis.
Polish officials stress that people, fuel and ammunition remain fundamental to national defence. “When there’s a war or some kind of near-war threat, it’s the most basic things that count: that’s fuel, ammunition and people,” Deputy Defence Minister Cezary Tomczyk told Reuters.
In February, Tusk announced a programme to offer voluntary military and civil-defence training aimed at preparing 100,000 volunteers by 2027. NATO publicly estimates that Russia would need several years to be ready for a large-scale confrontation with the West; Polish officials say that timeframe informs their planning. Zalewski said the country is preparing for threats that are both immediate and likely to evolve: “We’re ready to face the kind of threat that is real today. And we’re preparing for the threat that will be real tomorrow.”