Thousands of soldiers resign in 2007

A further 550 are on leaving period, which means they will also quit soon leaving the Ministry running short of funds for severance pay. Low salaries and lack of prospects have been cited as the main reason for the resignations. "After five years of study the prospects are not very promising. While in civil graduates of military technical academies hardly have any problems with finding a job," said one young officer. The decision to leave the army is also made easier due to the fact that soldiers can receive a pension after 15 years of service. This is a problem for the Defense Ministry not only because of cost, but also due to the fact that in line with recent reform Poland should have 150,000 professional soldiers, while it is currently short by 40,000 persons. The ministry is considering ways of promoting army careers among young people similar to those in Western countries, but so far no decisions have been made. (Rzeczpospolita, pp. A1, A4) M.M.