Addressing more than 2,000 troops at the 1st Armored Brigade outside Warsaw, Tusk pledged that the Polish Armed Forces, now over 200,000 strong, would surpass all European peers in combat power “within a few years.”
“Today, the best medicine for the wartime trauma is you – the Polish army,” he told soldiers, flanked by Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak‑Kamysz.
“With full responsibility, I say: the Polish army will soon be the strongest in Europe.”
Tusk said allies from the United States, France, Britain and Germany describe Poland as “NATO’s most valuable European link” as the alliance fortifies its eastern flank after Russia’s 2022 invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
Biggest force in the EU
Poland’s active‑duty ranks have already become the European Union’s largest, boosted by accelerated recruitment and record arms purchases, including U.S. Abrams tanks, F‑35 fighters and South Korean K2 tanks and K9 howitzers.
Warsaw plans to spend about 4 percent of GDP on defense this year, the highest ratio in NATO.
Healing historic wounds
Poland lost roughly six million citizens under Nazi occupation, and Tusk said forging a powerful modern army ensures “the future will never again repeat that part of history.”
The event coincided with VE‑Day commemorations across Europe marking Germany’s surrender on 8 May 1945.
Polish officials emphasized that while the word “victory” still tastes “bitter” after the decades of Soviet domination that followed, today’s well‑equipped military symbolizes regained security and pride.
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Source: PAP