Poland considers reinstating conscription

Deputy Defense Minister Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka’s remarks have followed a survey showing that 53% of young Poles oppose the prospect Poland is mulling reintroducing compulsory military service that was abolished in 2009, Deputy Defense Minister Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka has said.

Her comments came shortly after an opinion poll indicated that over a half of Poles under 24 were against the reinstatement of conscription.

In an interview with RMF FM radio station on Wednesday, Sobkowiak-Czarnecka revealed that “discussions at the Ministry of National Defense today cover all possible scenarios.” The official said that she personally is a proponent of universal conscription modelled after the Israeli draft system, where both men and women are called up for service.

Sobkowiak-Czarnecka argued that the pool of volunteers should first be exhausted before moving toward the reinstatement of the draft.

The Polish deputy defense minister acknowledged, however, that she has “colleagues who are absolutely opposed” to the idea of compulsory military service.

Earlier on Wednesday, RMF FM reported that a recent Opinia24 poll indicated that 46% of respondents were in favor of reintroducing conscription, while 38% were against, with the other 16% undecided.

The share of those opposing the draft rises to 53% in the 18-24 cohort.

Following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Warsaw has announced plans to expand its military from the current 220,000 personnel to 500,000, including 200,000 reservists, by 2039.

Read more Objections to conscription triple in Germany – media Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the Warsaw Security Forum on Tuesday, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz called on the European Union to shift to “war-mode” military production.

In recent years, Poland has emerged as one of the most rapidly militarizing EU nations, with its military spending reaching around 4.7% of its GDP.

The country has also been one of Kiev’s staunchest backers in its conflict with Moscow, providing Ukraine with weapons, including artillery systems, tanks, armored vehicles, warplanes, and ammunition.

Some estimates place Poland in first place among all other Western countries in terms of the volume of assistance provided relative to its own GDP.

Poland has also served as a key logistical hub for Ukraine-bound arms shipments from other countries.

Neighboring Germany has emerged as Ukraine’s top backer in Europe in absolute terms, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.