Polish Army to increase by 50%

"The Polish army will be bigger, we envisage a fundamental increase in the army, by at least 50 percent over the coming years, including the creation of three brigades for the territorial defense of the country on the eastern flank," proclaimed Polish Defence Minister Antoni Macierewiczin in Bydgoszcz, where he opened a new building for a NATO Force Integration Unit. The minister forecasts the number of Polish soldiers to reach about 150,000, and says that “the development of the Polish army will not be limited to territorial defense.” Poland has been pushing for a permanent NATO presence in the region since the Russian-Ukrainian crisis began in 2014. The current Law and Justice government continued this policy after it was sworn into power in mid-November, following the October 25 general election.