Polish Armed Forces
The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland (Polish: Siły Zbrojne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, pronounced [ˈɕiwɨ ˈzbrɔjnɛ ʐɛt͡ʂpɔsˈpɔlitɛj ˈpɔlskʲɛj]; abbreviated SZ RP), popularly called Wojsko Polskie in Poland (roughly the "Polish Military"—abbreviated WP) are the national armed forces of the Republic of Poland. The name has been used since the early 19th century, but can also be applied to earlier periods. The Polish Legions and the Blue Army, composed of Polish volunteers from America and those who switched sides from the Central Powers, were formed during World War I. In the war's aftermath, the Polish Army was reformed from the remnants of the partitioning powers' forces and expanded significantly during the Polish–Soviet War of 1920.
| Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland | |
|---|---|
| Siły Zbrojne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej | |
| | |
| Motto | God, Honor, Fatherland (Bóg, Honor, Ojczyzna) |
| Founded | 1918 |
| Current form | January 1990 |
| Service branches | |
| Headquarters | Warsaw |
| Website | www |
| Leadership | |
| President | Andrzej Duda |
| Minister of National Defence | Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz |
| Chief of the General Staff | General Wiesław Kukuła |
| Personnel | |
| Military age | 18 years of age |
| Conscription | No |
| Active personnel | ~200,000 (2024, TDF) |
| Reserve personnel | ~350,000 (2024) |
| Deployed personnel | 20,000+NATO (2023) |
| Expenditures | |
| Budget | 159 billion PLN ~ US$ 40 billion |
| Percent of GDP | 4.67% (2024) |
| Industry | |
| Domestic suppliers | Polish Defence Holding WZM S.A. HSW S.A. OBRUM Tarnów Mechanical Works S.A. |
| Foreign suppliers | European Union United States South Korea Norway |
| Related articles | |
| History | List of Polish wars Timeline of the Polish Army |
| Ranks | Polish Armed Forces rank insignia |
World War II dramatically impacted Polish military structures, with the initial defeat by Nazi Germany and Soviet Union invasions leading to the dispersion of Polish forces. After the war, Poland came under the Soviet sphere of influence and the army eventually became the communist Polish People's Army (LWP). The LWP's reputation suffered due to its role in political suppression both domestically and abroad, such as during the Prague Spring. Post-communism, Poland shifted towards Western military standards, joining NATO in 1999 and undertaking substantial modernization of its forces.
The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland consist of the Wojska Lądowe (Polish Land Forces), Marynarka Wojenna (Polish Navy), Siły Powietrzne (Polish Air Forces), Wojska Specjalne (Polish Special Forces) and Wojska Obrony Terytorialnej (Polish Territorial Defence Force) and Military Police polish Żandarmeria wojskowa which are under the command of the Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (Ministry of National Defence of Poland). In 2022, Poland ranked 18th in the world in terms of military expenditures and was among the nine NATO member states that have maintained their military spending above the required 2% of annual GDP. In accordance with the Homeland Defence Act, enacted as a response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Poland intends to increase the budget to 137.184 billion PLN (US$33 billion) in 2023.