Poland could soon have one of the strongest armies in Europe and one that will dwarf Britain’s, if the nation’s government gets its way.
Polish defence minister Mariusz Blaszczak has revealed that the country plans to double the size of its army from 150,000 to 300,000 – three times the size of Britain’s, the Telegraph reports.
One major obstacle, though, to the government’s plans could be the general election scheduled for the autumn, with Blaszczak revealing the current administration needs two more years of a huge spending spree to complete its mission.
“We are seeking a mandate to govern for another term because then we can finish the process we started,” said Blaszczak, who is also the country’s deputy prime minister.
“We need two more years and then the Polish army will be the strongest in Europe – we are on track to do this.”
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The Russian invasion of Ukraine has spurred on the Polish government, who have put in multi-billion pound orders for nearly 1,500 tanks.
Most of these will come from South Korea, with 1,000 K2s bought, while 250 brand-new M1A2 Abrams will be arriving from the States, along with 116 older M1A1 Abrams – these will be used to temporarily replace those tanks sent to help Ukraine.
Blaszczak said that the M1A1 Abrams will join the 18th Mechanised Division, out in eastern Poland.
“First of all, we want to deter any aggressor,” he added. “We want to show them that the Polish army is strong and equipped with modern weapons.
“Their task will be to create a barrier, a dam that will not be broken by an aggressor.”
Meanwhile, prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki has been visiting the United States, where he met with vice-president Kamala Harris, with Warsaw expected to propose a “strategic partnership” with Washington.
He also told Americans that they should be concerned about the current conflict in Europe, because “Russia’s attack on Ukraine is only the beginning”.
He said the “resurgence of Russian imperialism is a harbinger of a new Cold War,” warning that failure to protect Ukraine would “risk a global conflict”.