Poland’s Ministry of National Defense announces plans for 500,000-soldier reserve and new training systems.
High-Readiness Reserve
Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced plans to establish a high-readiness reserve. This reserve will consist of trained reservists regularly participating in military exercises. Together with professional soldiers and Territorial Defense Forces, they will form a unit of 500,000 people ready for immediate mobilization.
“For all of us, 2026 will be the year of the reserve, the year of reservists, the year of changes in the reserve,” said the head of MON. Kosiniak-Kamysz also announced that the annual civilian training program “wGotowości” will begin on March 7.
Reserve Officer Schools
The new system will include reserve officer schools, which will begin a pilot program in the 2026/2027 academic year. Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces Wiesław Kukuła reported that the initial program will cover about 300 volunteers.
The training in reserve officer schools will last three years, and cadets will receive a monthly scholarship of 1,000 złoty. After completing their studies, they will be able to take officer exams to receive the rank of second lieutenant in the reserve.
Group Training for Companies
MON is also launching group training courses for companies. Details were provided by Deputy Minister of National Defense Cezary Tomczyk. “This is a solution that has not existed before,” Tomczyk said.
“Registration can be done through the mObywatel application or the website. Group trainings will be one of the pillars of the entire program’s strength. From the very beginning, it was important to us that the trainings were ‘tailor-made’ so that institutions or companies could together with instructors determine the individual scope of training,” Tomczyk said.
