Red Tape Hot Box on Leave it to the pros
And although our military is sizeable in terms of the number of soldiers, can we honestly say that it'll successfully defend us if something happens? I doubt it.
The drafting system that prevails in our country is archaic. We are under no threat whatsoever of our neighbors suddenly declaring war on us, while our drafted boys, who don't actually get the chance to hold a weapon very often, are hardly a great match for the mobile, fast and determined terrorists that our society fears today. In modern conflict, we should be defended by well-disciplined, well-equipped and well-paid professional soldiers that have been trained for such a task for years - soldiers to whom not much can come as a surprise in this world full of 'surprises.'
The only argument in favor of having a conscripted army is an economic one. There simply isn't enough money for a professional army, and due to the high unemployment rate it's better to keep those called up in the army. Also costly is change itself, but it is inevitable. A professional army is more efficient and guarantees our safety, thus the money spent wouldn't be money wasted. We need such an army. After all, a car with poor brakes and no air bags or seat-belts is also cheaper, but who would want to drive it?
After observing the events in New York and Madrid, we can see that it was the police and fire brigade, not the army, that played the biggest roles during those tragic hours. These services in Poland are underpaid and, as the recent events in Łódź have shown, poorly equipped and poorly organized - which leads to fatal mistakes. Nevertheless, those two agencies are the basis for our safety, not only during attacks, but also during natural disasters.
Our government spends huge sums of money on army equipment because, it claims, NATO is forcing us to upgrade our military. In this regard they are right, because the kit we have is old. But what they should do is spend the cash more wisely. So far, more damage has been done in Poland by natural disasters than by any terrorist attack. Moreover, Poland doesn't have the economic means to become a military superpower. Instead of renting fighter planes, we could buy new helicopters, which, apart from their fighting capabilities, could be used in other roles, supplementing the police and fire brigade, for instance.
Both the police and fire brigade need much more investment. They should be our priority. We must learn to understand that they work for us, and that, like the hundreds of firefighters and police officers in New York, they'll risk their necks to save our skins.
The drafting system that prevails in our country is archaic. We are under no threat whatsoever of our neighbors suddenly declaring war on us, while our drafted boys, who don't actually get the chance to hold a weapon very often, are hardly a great match for the mobile, fast and determined terrorists that our society fears today. In modern conflict, we should be defended by well-disciplined, well-equipped and well-paid professional soldiers that have been trained for such a task for years - soldiers to whom not much can come as a surprise in this world full of 'surprises.'
The only argument in favor of having a conscripted army is an economic one. There simply isn't enough money for a professional army, and due to the high unemployment rate it's better to keep those called up in the army. Also costly is change itself, but it is inevitable. A professional army is more efficient and guarantees our safety, thus the money spent wouldn't be money wasted. We need such an army. After all, a car with poor brakes and no air bags or seat-belts is also cheaper, but who would want to drive it?
After observing the events in New York and Madrid, we can see that it was the police and fire brigade, not the army, that played the biggest roles during those tragic hours. These services in Poland are underpaid and, as the recent events in Łódź have shown, poorly equipped and poorly organized - which leads to fatal mistakes. Nevertheless, those two agencies are the basis for our safety, not only during attacks, but also during natural disasters.
Our government spends huge sums of money on army equipment because, it claims, NATO is forcing us to upgrade our military. In this regard they are right, because the kit we have is old. But what they should do is spend the cash more wisely. So far, more damage has been done in Poland by natural disasters than by any terrorist attack. Moreover, Poland doesn't have the economic means to become a military superpower. Instead of renting fighter planes, we could buy new helicopters, which, apart from their fighting capabilities, could be used in other roles, supplementing the police and fire brigade, for instance.
Both the police and fire brigade need much more investment. They should be our priority. We must learn to understand that they work for us, and that, like the hundreds of firefighters and police officers in New York, they'll risk their necks to save our skins.
