Poland will roll out a new military training programme this month as part of a broader plan to train around 400,000 people in 2026, the Defence Ministry said on Thursday.
Galvanised by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Poland now spends more of its GDP on defence than any other NATO member.
It has grown into the alliance's third-largest military, with 216,000 personnel, and plans to expand its forces by nearly a third over the next decade.
Dubbed by Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz as "the largest defence training in Polish history", the programme 'At Readiness' will be voluntary and open to all citizens - from school children to working adults, companies, and seniors.
The programme will offer a basic security course, survival training, medical instruction, and cyber-hygiene classes.
"In November and December alone (...) we will train about 20,000 people in individual training, but the total number..., in terms of all forms of training, is about 100,000 people," Deputy Defence Minister Cezary Tomczyk told a conference.
The ministry plans next year to train approximately 400,000 people "individually, in groups, as part of 'Education with the Army', reserve training and voluntary compulsory military service", Tomczyk added.
The chief of Poland's General Staff, Wieslaw Kukula, said the programme had two primary goals - to strengthen the resilience of citizens and communities, and to boost the availability, readiness, and capacity of reserves.
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Denmark will hold a parliamentary election on 24 March, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced on Thursday (26 February), as she seeks to capitalise on a surge in support for her defiant stance against U.S. pressure over Greenland.
Ankara has rejected media reports claiming it plans to deploy military forces into Iranian territory in the event of a U.S. attack on the Islamic republic.
The U.S. ambassador to Portugal has urged Lisbon to replace its ageing F-16 fighter jets with Lockheed Martin’s F-35, saying the stealth aircraft would ensure compatibility with Europe’s top-tier air forces.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Saudi Aramco closed its Ras Tanura refinery on Monday following an Iranian drone strike, an industry source told Reuters as Tehran retaliated across the Gulf after a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iranian targets over the weekend.
The Middle East crisis intensifies after the deadly attack on the compound of the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei on Saturday that killed him, other family members and senior figures. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. targets in the region.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military has enough stockpiled weapons to fight wars 'forever' in a social media post late on Monday. The remarks came hours before conflict in Iran and the Middle East entered its fourth day.
Türkiye raised its security level for Turkish-flagged vessels in the Strait of Hormuz to Level 3 on Sunday (2 March). The development follows Iranian restrictions on shipping after U.S. and Israeli strikes and confirmation of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s death.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said the United States has a “virtually unlimited supply” of munitions and is capable of sustaining military action indefinitely, as the conflict with Iran entered its fourth day.
The United Nations has called for an investigation into a deadly attack on a girls’ primary school in Iran, which Iranian officials say has killed more than 100 children. The U.S. has said its forces “would not” deliberately target a school.
U.S. first lady, Melania Trump chaired a UN Security Council meeting on children and education in conflict on Monday (2 March), a move criticised by Iran as hypocritical following U.S. and Israeli strikes that triggered a UN warning about risks to children.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 3rd of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Australia on Tuesday (3 March), aiming to bolster relations between the two so-called "middle powers" amid what he has called a "rupture" in world order.
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