Mariusz Błaszczak, the Minister of National Defense during the conference on the Act on the Defense of the Homeland said that the draft law on the defense of the Fatherland will create the foundation for the development of the Polish Army to make it more numerous and equip with modern equipment due to the financing mechanism that will enable an increase in expenditure on security and defense.

Work on the act was conducted under the supervision of the Committee of the Council of Ministers for National Security and Defense Affairs, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński.

He emphasized that the Act on the Defense of the Fatherland would create legal foundations, as well as financial instruments for the radical expansion of the Polish army, both in terms of its numbers and armament. “I don’t think there is a need to explain why this law is so necessary. “Poland must have at its disposal an armed force adequate to the current situation. It needs forces that will be able to repel the attack, and that will be strong enough to prevent this attack”, said Kaczynski.

The Law on Defense of the Fatherland will allow strengthening the Polish army by increasing the number of soldiers to approximately 300,000, increasing the defense budget, as well as providing technical modernization of the army. Currently, the Polish Army numbers about 111.500 professional soldiers and 32.000 soldiers of the Territorial Defense Forces. The new regulations provide that the Polish army will ultimately be increased to approximately 300,000. soldiers, including 250.000 professional soldiers and 50.000 soldiers of the Territorial Defense Forces.

In the new act, a new mechanism will be introduced to obtain additional funds for the armaments and modernization of the Polish Army and to increase its number. The Armed Forces Support Fund will be established at Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK). It will be financed by treasury securities, BGK bonds or payments from the state budget.

Adrian Andrzejewski