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| Military age | 18 years of age
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| Availability | males age 15–49: 10,354,978 (2003 est.)
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| Reaching military age annually | males: 343,500 (2003 est.)
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| Dollar figure | $5.56 billion (FY2005 est.)
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| Percent of GDP | 1.95% (FY2005 est.)
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('''WP''', ''Polish Army'') is the name applied to the military forces of
Poland . The name has been used since the early
19th Century , although it can be used to refer to earlier formations as well. Polish Armed Forces consist of the
Army (Wojsko Lądowe),
Navy (Marynarka Wojenna) and
Air Force (Siły Powietrzne) branches and are under the command of the Ministry of Defense (Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej).
''Main articles:
History Of The Polish Military ,
Armia Krajowa (Home Army),
Polish Contribution To World War II ''
The modern day Wojsko was created in
1918 , from the three separate
Russia n,
Austro-Hungarian , and
Prussia n armies and equipment left following
World War I . The force expanded during the
Polish-Soviet War of 1919–1922 to nearly 800,000 men, but then was reduced when peace was reestablished. During the
Second World War , on
1 September ,
1939 the force was nearly one million men strong, but was defeated by a German attack in
September 1939 , which was followed on
17 September 1939 by a Soviet one. It splintered into guerilla units and partisan groups which fought in clandestine ways against the foreign occupiers of Poland. After the war, the
Soviets imposed their own structure on the military, which structure was ultimately discarded after the fall of
Communism . Currently the military is being re-organized according to
NATO standards. Some of the major problems facing the Polish Army Forces are the transition from a draft-based to a professional army and elimination of "fala" - the
Bullying of young conscripts by older ones.
forces (probably 16th-17th century) singing the
Bogurodzica Hymn before the battle. Painting by
Józef Brandt .]]
The combined Polish armed forces consists of 140,000 active duty personnel and in addition 450,000 reserves.
The armed forces are made up of
Conscript s who serve for a period of 9 months, and professional soldiers. Personnel levels and organization in the different branches are as follows (2004):
- : 93,570 (3 Mechanized Divisions and 1 Armoured Division)
- : 31,147 (Air and Air Defense Corps)
- : 15,976 (1 Battle Fleet, 2 Coastal Defense Brigades)
::''Main article:
Equipment Of The Polish Army ''
The Polish military continues to use mostly Soviet-era equipment, however after joining
NATO in
1999 Poland has begun upgrading and modernizing its hardware to Western standards. The General Staff has been reorganized into a NATO-compatible J/G-1 through J/G-6 structure. Recent modernization projects include the acquisition of
F-16 fighter jets from the United States,
Leopard 2 MBT s from Germany,
ATGM technology from Israel (as well as possible future acquisition of
Rafael Python 5 and
Arrow missiles), and
Patria AMV 8x8 AFVs from Finland.
Equipment, see in detail:
The most basic goal of the armed forces is the defense of Polish territorial integrity, and Polish interests abroad. Poland's national security goal is to further integrate with
NATO and other west European defense, economic, and political institutions via a modernization and reorganization of its military. Polish military doctrine reflects the same defense nature as its NATO partners. Poland continues to be a regional leader in support and participation in the NATO Partnership for Peace Program and has actively engaged most of its neighbors and other regional actors to build stable foundations for future
Europe an security arrangements. Poland is also playing an increasingly larger role as a major European peacekeeping power in the world through various UN peacekeeping actions.
Polish Armed Forces took part in the
2003 Invasion Of Iraq , deploying 2,500 soldiers in the south of that country and commanding the 17-nation
Multinational Force In Iraq . In addition to this, Polish soldiers are currently deployed in five separate UN Peacekeeping Operations (UNDOF, UNIFIL, SFOR, AFOR and KFOR) with a total of approximately 2,200 troops, on top of the 1,500 soldiers remaining in southern Iraq. Total international deployment of Polish military is 3,727 troops.
Current deployment (2004):
- ''' (PMU/KFOR) – 800 soldiers
- : UN Interim Force (PMC/UNIFIL) – 632 soldiers
- : UN Disengagement and Observation Force (PMC/UNDOF) – 355 soldiers
- : Stabilization Force (PMU/SFOR) – 300 soldiers
- : International Force in Albania (PMU/AFOR) – 140 soldiers
.]]
Polish military forces are the origin of the
Two-fingers Salute .
The Wojsko consists of the following branches:
