Armed Forces
Compulsory Military Service Will Not Be Reintroduced In Poland
Fot. NASA
Polish Minister of Defence, Tomasz Siemoniak, stated yesterday during his interview for “Kropka nad i” TV programme, that the Polish MoD will not reintroduce compulsory military service which has been abolished back in 2009. The deputy PM was asked about that within the context of the decisions made by the Lithuanian authorities, which have reintroduced compulsory military service in the light of the Russian threat.
Lithuanian State Defence Council, fearing the Russian actions, such as so called “hybrid—war”, decided to reintroduce compulsory military service for a period of five years. It is expected that each year, ca. 3500 conscripts, aged 19-26, will be called for duty, which is to provide a proper human resources structure for the Lithuanian Army within the period between 2015 and 2016. Secondary result of that is that the Lithuanians will create a proper reserve potential, should the worst happen.
The Ukrainian crisis and increased level of activity of the Russian forces means that some questions may arise, regarding the status of the Polish Army. Some suggestions have been made that compulsory military service should be reintroduced in Poland. Nonetheless, Minister Siemoniak stresses that no such need exists, since the Polish Army – contrary to the Lithuanian forces – has a sufficient reserve potential.