Polish Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk said earlier this week that the move is intended to speed up innovation in the Polish armed forces and help local companies overcome bureaucratic barriers that often prevent them from selling their products at home.
“If firms cannot break through a rigid system for years, yet manage to sell their equipment abroad, it means we are making a colossal mistake, and we must fix it,” Tomczyk said on Tuesday at the Armed Forces Innovation Forum, held at the Military University of Technology in Warsaw.
The event was organized by the defense ministry’s innovation department in cooperation with military and civilian research institutes and defense industry partners.
Tomczyk said Poland’s defense spending has reached record levels, amounting to about PLN 200 billion (roughly EUR 47 billion, USD 55 billion), in addition to tens of billions in European Union funds.
“It is easy to spend this money on equipment purchases, but the real challenge is to do it wisely, to invest in technologies developed in Poland and to build innovation at home,” he said.
Tomczyk said the defense ministry is preparing legislation on strategic investment projects that would simplify military procurement procedures and formalize the testing of equipment before purchase.
“In recent days, dozens of companies have come forward, offering to provide their products to the Polish Army for testing. But that is still not enough,” he said.
“Together with Gen. Wiesław Kukuła, the c hief of the General Staff, we will soon present a plan to establish the first dedicated testing unit in the Polish Army. It will evaluate equipment from both Polish and foreign manufacturers from start to finish.”
He added that a new Center for Autonomous Systems was being created to coordinate the work of military research institutes and industry.
“The institutes hold many patents used by Poland’s defense industry, but they must meet directly with the army, as the end user, and with companies developing the technology,” he said.
Tomczyk also called for the creation of a national innovation fund in cooperation with the Ministry of State Assets.
“Poland needs tools to support innovation strategically, to decide which capabilities it wants to develop,” he said, adding that the goal is to test and verify products in a system "similar to those used by the United States, France and Britain."
This year’s forum, the fifth edition of the event, focused on lessons from the war in Ukraine and from Poland’s large-scale military exercise, Iron Defender 2025.
Participants also discussed the construction of the Eastern Shield, a defensive line along Poland’s eastern border, and the development of anti-drone technologies.
Tomczyk said “good news” in that area could be expected soon.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP