Outlining the plan to reporters, Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński said the proposed homeland defence bill was designed to "create the legal basis and financial instruments for a radical expansion of Poland's armed forces in terms of both manpower and firepower."
Referring to escalating tensions with Russia over Ukraine, he added that "Poland must have at its disposal armed forces adequate to the kind of situation we have today--forces that will be able to fend off an attack and will be strong enough to prevent such as attack from happening."
Kaczyński, who heads Poland's ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, has previously told reporters that “a country located at the external border of the European Union must have a major deterrence capability and be able to defend itself on its own for a long time.”
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak told a news conference in Warsaw that the proposed legislation would "lay the foundations for the development of Poland's armed forces" by opening up new sources of funding for the military and helping increase its numbers through new incentives for voluntary enlistment.
Under the bill, Poland's armed forces are expected to increase to about 300,000 troops, including 250,000 career soldiers, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
The new rules would take effect on July 1 and replace regulations dating back to 1967, officials said.
(gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, TVP Info