Seyma Erkul Dayanc
06 May 2026•Update: 06 May 2026
Poland’s defense minister vowed Wednesday that the country will have the "strongest and largest army in Europe” by 2030, local media reported.
"By 2030, Poland will have the strongest and largest army in Europe … (and) the best organized and equipped,” Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, who also serves as deputy prime minister, said in his opening address at Defence24 Days, a security and defense conference in the capital Warsaw.
“This is our strategic goal, to which we are devoting all our possible actions,” he added.
The planned transformation includes expanding the armed forces to half a million personnel, including 300,000 professional soldiers and 200,000 high-readiness reservists.
He said the country’s defense strategy rests on three pillars: a strong society, a strong army, and strong alliances, adding that national security depends on the involvement of all citizens.
“There is no safe Poland without people who are involved in it,” he said, adding that civilian participation would be essential in the event of any potential attack.
Kosiniak-Kamysz also described preparations for potential threats as part of what he called “total defense,” involving both military and civilian structures.
He said Poland is undergoing “the largest investments in its history” in defense, aiming to build a “strong, well-organized and managed army.”
He also called for increased production capacity in the defense industry, saying it should operate “24 hours a day, seven days a week” to meet the 2030 targets.
Kosiniak-Kamysz said Poland’s defense strategy also includes strengthening domestic arms production and reducing reliance on external suppliers, including efforts to shift certain production capacities to Europe.
He added the EU is increasingly engaged in security matters, calling defense spending an investment in Europe’s independence.
“Europe can once again be a beacon for other continents, but it must wake up, understand the threat, and respond quickly,” he said.
