TheArmed Forces of the Republic of Poland (Polish:Siły Zbrojne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej,pronounced[ˈɕiwɨˈzbrɔjnɛʐɛt͡ʂpɔsˈpɔlitɛjˈpɔlskʲɛj]; abbreviatedSZ RP), also called thePolish Armed Forces and popularly calledWojsko Polskie in Poland ([ˈvɔj.skɔˈpɔl.skjɛ], roughly "the Polish Military"—abbreviatedWP), are the nationalarmed forces of theRepublic of Poland. The name has been used since the early 1800s, but can also be applied toearlier periods.
ThePolish Legions and theBlue Army, composed of Polish volunteers from theUnited States and those who switched sides from theCentral Powers, were formed duringWorld War I. In the war's aftermath, the Polish Army was reformed from the remnants of the partitioning powers' forces and expanded significantly during thePolish–Soviet War of 1920.World War II dramatically impacted Polish military structures, with the initial defeat by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union invasions leading to the dispersion of Polish forces into theunderground. After the war, thePolish People's Army (LWP) was formed, and its standards aligned with those of the formerWarsaw Pact. The LWP's reputation suffered due to its role in political suppression both domestically and abroad, such as during thePrague Spring. Following the fall of communism, Poland shifted towards Western military standards, joiningNATO in 1999, participating in missions inIraq andAfghanistan, and undertaking substantial modernization of its forces.
The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland comprise five main service branches: thePolish Land Forces (Wojska Lądowe), thePolish Navy (Marynarka Wojenna), thePolish Air Force (Siły Powietrzne), thePolish Special Forces (Wojska Specjalne), and thePolish Territorial Defence Force (Wojska Obrony Terytorialnej), under the command of theMinistry of National Defence of Poland. According to theStockholm International Peace Research Institute, Poland spent $38.0 billion on its defense budget in 2024, ranking13th globally in terms of military expenditures.[6]
In 2024, Poland spent the greatest share of its GDP for military expenditures (4.12%) among all NATO members.[7] With over 216,100 active personnel in 2024, the Polish Armed Forces are the third-largest military in NATO, right afterTurkey and theUnited States.[8]
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Pursuant to the national security strategy of Poland, the supreme strategic goal of Poland's military forces is to ensure favourable and secure conditions for the realization of national interests by eliminating external and internal threats, reducing risks, rightly assessing undertaken challenges, and ably using existing opportunities.[9] The Republic of Poland'smain strategic goals in the area of defence include:
TheList of Polish wars chronicles Polish military involvement in armed conflicts since the year 972. The present armed forces trace their roots to the early 20th century, yet the history of Polish armed forces in their broadest sense stretches back much further. After thepartitions of Poland, during the period from 1795 to 1918, the Polish military was recreated several times during national insurrections that included theNovember Uprising of 1830, theJanuary Uprising in 1863, and theNapoleonic Wars that saw the formation of thePolish Legions in Italy.Congress Poland, being part of theRussian Empire with a certain degree of autonomy, had a separate Polish army in the years 1815–1830, which was disbanded after the unsuccessful November Uprising. Large numbers of Poles also served in the armies of the partitioning powers, theRussian Empire,Austria-Hungary, and theGerman Empire.
DuringWorld War I, thePolish Legions were set up inGalicia, the southern part of Poland under Austrian occupation. They were both disbanded after theCentral Powers failed to provide guarantees of Polish independence after the war. GeneralJózef Haller, the commander of the Second Brigade of the Polish Legion, switched sides in late 1917 and, viaMurmansk, took part of his troops toFrance, where he created theBlue Army. It was joined by several thousand Polish volunteers from theUnited States. It fought on the French front in 1917 and 1918.
The Polish Army was recreated in 1918 from elements of the three separate Russian, Austro-Hungarian, and German armies, and armed with equipment left following World War I. The force expanded during thePolish–Soviet War of 1919–1922 to nearly 800,000 men, but was then reduced after peace was reestablished.
At the onset ofWorld War II, on 1 September 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Polish forces were overwhelmed by theGerman attack in September 1939, which was followed on 17 September 1939 byan invasion by the Soviet Union. Some Polish forces escaped from the occupied country and joined Allied forces fighting in other theaters, while those that remained in Poland splintered into guerrilla units of theArmia Krajowa ("Home Army") andother partisan groups which fought in clandestine ways against the foreign occupiers. Thus, there were three threads to the Polish armed forces from 1939: thePolish Armed Forces in the West, theArmia Krajowa and other resistance organizations fighting the Germans in Poland, and thePolish Armed Forces in the East, which later became the post-war communistPolish People's Army (LWP).
Until thefall of communism, the army's prestige under communist rule continued to fall, as it was used by the government to resettle ethnic minorities immediately after the war (Operation Vistula), and to violently suppress opposition several times, during the1956 Poznań protests, the1970 Polish protests, and duringmartial law in Poland in 1981–1983. The LWP also took part in the suppression of the 1968 democratization process of Czechoslovakia, commonly known as thePrague Spring. That same year, Marshal of Poland Marian Spychalski was asked to replaceEdward Ochab as chairman of theCouncil of State, and GeneralWojciech Jaruzelski, at that time theChief of the General Staff, was named to replace him.[10] Jaruzelski, a known Soviet loyalist, was put in place by the Soviets in order to ensure that a trusted group of officers was in control of one of the least trusted armies in the Warsaw Pact.[11]
After January 1990 and the collapse of the communist bloc, the name of the armed forces was changed to "Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland" to accord with the Polish State's new official name. Following the subsequent disbandment of theWarsaw Pact, Poland was admitted intoNATO on 12 March 1999, and the Polish armed forces began a major reorganization effort in order to conform to the new Western standards.
From 2002 until 2014, Polish military forces were part of theCoalition Forces that participated in theISAF mission inAfghanistan led byNATO. Poland's contribution to ISAF was the country's largest since its entrance into NATO. Polish forces also took part in theIraq War. From 2003 to 2008, Polish military forces commanded the Multinational Division(MND-CS) located in the South-Central Occupation Zone of Iraq. The division consisted of troops from 23 nations and totaled as many as 8,500 soldiers.
In March 2003, the Polish Armed Forces took part in the2003 invasion of Iraq,deploying special forces and a support ship.[12] Following the destruction of Saddam's regime, thePolish Land Forces supplied a brigade and a division headquarters for the 17-nationMultinational Division Central-South, part of the U.S.-ledMulti-National Force – Iraq. At its peak, Poland had 2,500 soldiers in the south of the country.
Other completed operations include the 2005 'Swift Relief' in Pakistan, in whichNATO Response Force-allocated personnel were dispatched.Polish Land Forces personnel sent to Pakistan included amilitary engineering company, a platoon of the1st Special Commando Regiment, and a logistics component from the 10th Logistics Brigade. Elsewhere, Polish forces were sent toMINURCAT in Chad and theCentral African Republic (2007–2010).
As of 2008, Poland had deployed 985 personnel in eight separate UN peacekeeping operations (theUnited Nations Disengagement Observer Force,MINURSO,MONUC,UNOCI,UNIFIL,UNMEE,UNMIK,UNMIL, andUNOMIG).[13]
Formerly set up according toWarsaw Pact standards, the Polish armed forces are now fully organized according toNATO requirements. Poland is also playing an increasingly larger role as a major European peacekeeping power in the world through various UN peacekeeping actions, and cooperation with neighboring nations through multinational formations and units such as theMultinational Corps Northeast andPOLUKRBAT. As of 1 January 2010, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland have transitioned to a completely contract-based manpower supply system.
On 10 April 2010, aPolish Air Force Tu-154M crashed near Smolensk, Russia, while it was travelling to a ceremony commemorating theKatyn massacre. On board the plane were the President (Commander-in-Chief), the Chief of Staff, all four Branch Commanders of the Polish Military, and a number of other military officials; all were killed.[citation needed]
In 2014–2015, theArmed Forces General Command andArmed Forces Operational Command were both established, superseding the previous individual service branch command structures.
Prompted in part by the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, theHomeland Defence Act was unanimously passed by the Polish parliament on March 17, 2022, and signed into law by PresidentAndrzej Duda the following day. In accordance with the act, Poland intends to roughly double the size of the armed forces to 300,000 personnel, and to spend at least 3% of GDP on the defence budget in 2023.[14] This includes increasing the size of the tank fleet by adding approximately 1,000 new tanks and adding 600 new howitzers to Poland's ground forces.[15] Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Defense MinisterMariusz Błaszczak said that it is Poland's goal to build the most powerful ground forces of all the North Atlantic Treaty Organization members in Europe.[16]
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Since 2011, the Armed Forces have been in the middle of a long-term modernization program. Plans involve new anti-aircraft missile systems, ballistic missile defense systems, a Lead-In Fighter Trainer (LIFT) aircraft, medium transport and combat helicopters, submarines, unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as self-propelled howitzers.[citation needed] Technical modernization plans for the years 2013 through to 2022 have been put in place.[17] During the 2013 to 2016 period of the plan, 37.8 billion PLN, or 27.8% of the period's military budget of 135.5 billion PLN, was invested into technical modernisation.[17]
Significant military equipment acquisitions are also planned for through the 2022 period, with the Ministry of Defense outlining 61 billionzłoty to be spent on further modernization. A major feature of the program is the acquisition of around 1,200 unmanned aerial vehicles, including at least 1,000 with combat capabilities.
Additionally, new helicopters and air defense systems are to be procured along with five light vessels for the navy. A new submarine force is to be jointly operated with a NATO partner, and general upgrade and modernization efforts are aimed at the country's air defenses, naval forces, cyber warfare capabilities, armored forces, and territorial defense forces (to have 50,000 volunteer members).[18]
The Polish Armed Forces consist of 292,000+ active duty personnel.[19] In 2023, troop strength in the five different branches was as follows:
All five branches are supported by:
The Polish armed forces have consistently held two yearly military parades (Polish:Defilada wojskowa) onArmed Forces Day andNational Independence Day. These parades take place onUjazdów Avenue and near theTomb of the Unknown Soldier onPiłsudski Square, respectively. The Armed Forces Day Parade was introduced in 2007 and 2008 as the first grand military parades since the holiday was reinstated and has been held yearly since 2013. The first Polish military parade took place on 17 January 1945, and as of 2019, the3 May Constitution Day parade was officially reinstated.
Marsz Generalski andWarszawianka (1831) are the main military musical pieces performed at ceremonial events. While the former is a solemn march used during inspections and the march on of the Polish flag, the latter is a march strictly used for marches pasts,military parades, and other processions.
The Polish Armed Forces are the only military entity in the world to use atwo-finger salute, which is only used while wearing a hat (it refers to the fact that the salute is given to the emblem itself) with the emblem of the Polish eagle, such as military hat,rogatywka. The salute is performed with the middle and index fingers extended and touching each other, while the ring and little fingers are bent and touched by the thumb. The tips of the middle and index fingers touch the peak of the cap, two fingers supposedly meaning Honour and Fatherland (Honor i Ojczyzna).
Czołem Żołnierze (thePolish language version ofGreetings Soldiers) is the official military greeting of the armed forces, usually given by the members of the government or military establishment, as well as visiting dignitaries during ceremonial occasions. The soldiers will usually respond withCzołem (States title/rank of dignitary[25]).
Around 200 Polish soldiers took part in combat, includingGROM andFormoza (Naval Frogmen Group) special forces, a chemical decontamination unit as well as theORP Kontradmirał X. Czernicki logistical ship.
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