Germany and Poland have unveiled major new defence measures, signalling Europe’s deepening military response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In Berlin, German lawmakers approved more than €1.9 billion in new defence procurements on Wednesday as part of a sweeping effort to modernise the Bundeswehr.
This included 14 projects covering air defence, small arms, logistics, medical support, endurance systems and information technology.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition has launched an extensive rearmament drive after years of underfunding, pledging hundreds of billions of euros to restore Germany’s military credibility within NATO.
The latest procurement round includes P13 pistols, anti-drone systems to support the Skyranger 30 platform and modular medical evacuation kits. In October, lawmakers approved a further €14 billion worth of defence projects, reflecting the country’s growing focus on security preparedness.
In Warsaw, Poland’s Defence Ministry announced the launch of a nationwide military training initiative aimed at building a stronger reserve force.
The programme, known as At Readiness, will begin this month and is expected to train around 400,000 people by 2026. Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz described it as “the largest defence training in Polish history”.
The scheme will be voluntary and be open to citizens of all ages, including students, professionals and retirees. Participants will receive training in basic security, survival, first aid and cyber defence. Deputy Defence Minister Cezary Tomczyk said about 20,000 people will complete training by the end of the year, with around 100,000 expected across all formats.
Poland, now spending a larger share of GDP on defence than any other NATO member, plans to expand its 216,000-strong military by nearly one-third within the next decade.
[Image: By Steffen Prößdorf, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=170772757]