by Alimat Aliyeva
As Poland builds one of the largest armies in Europe, Warsaw is
increasingly shifting its focus toward cooperation with domestic
defense companies and manufacturers from other Central European
countries. This approach is expected to reduce the country’s
dependence on foreign suppliers and allow Poland to increase the
production and delivery of weapons and military equipment more
quickly.
According to data from Poland’s Arms Agency analyzed by Reuters,
the country’s spending on defense equipment from domestic
companies, including joint ventures with other Central European
firms, has nearly quadrupled since 2022. Last year, this spending
reached 30.4 billion zlotys, or approximately $8.15 billion.
Although the war in Ukraine has led to a significant increase in
defense spending across Europe, strengthening the military has
become a particularly high priority for Poland. The country borders
Ukraine and considers Russia a major long-term threat to its
national security, Reuters reports.
This year, Poland is expected to spend approximately $61.45
billion on core defense programs, according to NATO data. This
would make Poland one of the largest defense spenders in the
European Union and represents around 4.7% of its GDP.
Expensive and advanced military systems such as American Patriot
air-defense systems, Abrams tanks and F-35 fighter jets remain an
important part of Poland’s modernization program. However, Polish
officials say that another major priority is to expand domestic and
regional production of drones, ammunition and other widely used
military equipment.
The growing importance of drones and ammunition has become
especially clear during the war in Ukraine. Modern conflicts
require enormous quantities of relatively inexpensive equipment,
meaning that a country’s ability to produce weapons quickly can be
just as important as having highly advanced systems.
This year, the size of the Polish armed forces exceeded 220,000
personnel, making them one of the largest military forces in
Europe. Poland, along with Estonia, is also among the few NATO
members moving particularly close to the alliance’s long-term
target of spending 5% of GDP on defense by 2035.
Poland is not only increasing its military spending but also
trying to establish itself as a major defense-production center in
Central Europe. Warsaw is seeking closer cooperation with
neighboring countries and Ukraine in order to develop joint
production capabilities and strengthen regional supply chains.
As further evidence of Poland’s ambitions in the defense
industry, Warsaw proposed last month that Ukraine and the United
States cooperate on the production of missiles for the Patriot
air-defense system.
The proposal reflects a broader shift in Poland’s defense
strategy: instead of relying primarily on imported weapons, the
country wants to develop the industrial capacity to manufacture
more military equipment at home and within the region.
An interesting point is that Poland’s military buildup is taking
place at an unusually rapid pace. The country is simultaneously
expanding the size of its armed forces, purchasing advanced foreign
weapons and investing heavily in its own defense industry. If this
strategy continues, Poland could become not only one of Europe’s
largest military powers but also one of the continent’s most
important defense-manufacturing hubs.