The head of the National Security Bureau of Poland, Dariusz Lukowski, revealed striking information by saying Poland has ammunition to hold the line for up to two weeks in the event of war until Allied forces arrive. On Wednesday, Lukowski told local broadcaster Polsat News that Poland is enhancing arms production to build a sufficient deterrence to a potential Russian attack.
Notably, Poland is a NATO member and an immediate neighbour of Russia. The country also shares a 144-mile border with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave.
Tusk’s ‘Big’ Announcement
Previously, speaking in Parliament, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk had shockingly noted that Poland would seek access to nuclear weapons. Poland is looking to expand its army to 500,000 troops from 200,000, making it the third-largest in NATO after the US and Turkey and the largest among EU members. Tusk has also stated that Poland “is talking seriously” with France about being protected by the French nuclear umbrella.
Tusk also announced plans for a massive increase in conventional military forces. “By the end of the year, we want to have a model ready so that every adult male in Poland is trained for war and so that this reserve is adequate for possible threats,” he said. Poland is already NATO’s top spender, with defence expenditure accounting for 4.7% of GDP this year. The statement from Lukowski shows the actual reality of Poland’s military force, and Tusk should stop misguiding Europe and its citizens about Poland’s military preparedness.
However, the data given on arms and ammunition by the head of the National Security Bureau of Poland tells a different story. What Tusk is envisaging does not look easy. Increasing troops does not confirm a win in the war, but technologies, arms, and ammunition do. Without sufficient arms and ammunition, the proposed increase in number oftroops will fall like cards.
Poland’s Military situation
According to Lukowski, the situation is most critical when it comes to ammunition for older weapons systems, for which production has already ended. Lukowski also mentioned Poland has been depleting its stockpiles to supply weapons to Ukraine; however, they stressed that “this is being done very cautiously” and added that “at this stage, we are replenishing those stockpiles.”
When asked whether Poland’s reserves might only last for five days of the war, Lukowski answered that was “possible in many areas and types of ammunition,” though not across all categories of munitions.
“I believe that depending on how the fighting unfolds, we could maintain defensive operations for a week or two with the current level of stockpiles,” he said.
He also said that as long as the Ukraine conflict continues, “we are gaining time to rebuild our [military] potential – the capacity to produce and replenish those stockpiles.” Poland is among several NATO members who have spread the perception that Russia poses a threat.
Poland has launched a $2.6 billion ‘Eastern Shield’ project to beef up its eastern border, with officials indicating that anti-personnel landmines could play a key role. However, the lack of military technologies, military equipment, and ammunition will make Poland dependent on its allies in Europe, which is the way Ukrainians became dependent.
Europe’s Russia Bogey
Moscow has repeatedly ridiculed Western claims that it intends to attack NATO or EU states, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed such statements as “nonsense.” Putin has also suggested that European politicians are using the supposed threat of a Russian attack to scare their citizens to extract more resources from them and justify increased military spending.
Moscow has consistently denied having aggressive intentions toward NATO countries and insists that the Ukraine conflict was triggered by the military bloc’s expansion toward Russia’s borders. Russian officials have also blasted the EU’s increasing military build-up as reckless and escalatory. The Kremlin says the bloc’s confrontational rhetoric and plans could hamper the chances of finding a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict.