Unbreakable System
Russia’s full-scale attack on Ukraine opened an entirely new chapter in the history of Europe. Western politicians almost unanimously stated that the period of stability which began after the Cold War had come to an end. The following months only confirmed this diagnosis. Alongside its confrontational rhetoric, the Kremlin began to increasingly use hybrid warfare tools. Social media was flooded with Russian disinformation, hacker attacks intensified, and many countries reported incidents of attacks on critical infrastructure.
In order to curb Moscow’s aggressive tendencies, Western European countries began to rebuild their often neglected armies. Defense spending skyrocketed. However, military strength alone is not enough. “Today, the entire society is responsible for the survival of a state. Thus, a coherent system should be created to respond to disruptions appropriately,” believes Col Leszek Elak, Prof., security expert at the War Studies University. Such a mechanism consists not only of an efficient and well-equipped army, but also properly organized public institutions, private companies and, last but not least, ordinary citizens, aware of threats and able to cope in the most difficult and demanding situations.
The process of building national resilience takes place on multiple levels. The new Civil Protection and Civil Defense Act, which took effect at the beginning of 2025, as well as changes in the education system, are some of the measures designed to help achieve it. A while ago, the Ministry of National Defense also got involved in raising ordinary citizens’ defensive competencies. A good example of that is the Edukacja z wojskiem [Education with the Army] program, in which soldiers teach students how to provide first aid, notify services about an emergency or evacuate from a dangerous place. A total of 500,000 children have been trained during the four editions of the program.
Another program – Trenuj z wojskiem [Train with the Army], was directed to all volunteers aged 15 to 65. During eight-hour classes, soldiers taught participants basic military skills – construction of weapons, elements of tactics, or techniques of surviving in a hostile environment. “This project had seven editions altogether and one special edition with the participation of soldiers from other NATO member states. Over the course of several years, 32,000 people took part in the trainings,” says LtCol Michał Tomczyk of the Department of Communication and Promotion at the Ministry of National Defense. He adds that the training was a true phenomenon, as almost all participants gave the program positive reviews. “This was the first project in which the army got directly involved in training civilians. It is a significant, unprecedented contribution to building social resilience and awareness that all of us, without exception, contribute to our common security,” emphasizes LtCol Tomczyk.
The Ministry of National Defense calculates that by the end of 2025, around 500,000 people were trained in all defense-related programs directed to civilians. The experience gained from these programs has been reflected in the wGotowości project, which is absolutely unprecedented in terms of scale in Poland’s recent history.
Sisu in Polish
In March 2025, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced in the Sejm the launching of universal voluntary military training. According to the government’s assumptions, the training might involve even 100,000 citizens a year in relatively short time. The concept had been developed by the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces. “We had never dealt with such a scale in this context,” admits BrigGen Rafał Miernik, PhD, Chief of the Training Directorate (P7) of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces. He drew from the experience gained in Poland. Apart from the aforementioned programs initiated by the MOND, lessons learned from the functioning of the Territorial Defense Forces (TDF), reserve soldier exercises, and crisis response in non-military situations also proved to be important.
“One top of that, we studied defense training systems in Switzerland, Sweden, Finland and Estonia, while analyzing our own environment,” says Col Paweł Wronka of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, one of the authors of the concept that formed the basis of the wGotowości program. “I was enormously impressed by the Finnish understanding of civilian responsibility for national security. I had the chance to examine all the related issues during a working visit to Finland several months ago,” he adds, and admits that the Finnish model had significant influence on the general assumptions and the concept prepared by them.
In Finland, qualities that can be summed up in the word “sisu” are nurtured from an early age. This term is difficult to translate, but it means perseverance, resilience and the ability to cope with difficulties. Children do sports, learn to cooperate, and, importantly, grow up with the conviction that every citizen is responsible for the stability and security of the country – even if they are not part of the army or other uniformed services. Moreover, Finland, as one of only few European states, has retained conscription after the end of World War II. It applies to all men over 18, and the service, depending on the position, lasts between 165 and 347 days. Women can volunteer to join the army. Additionally, citizens who have completed compulsory military service, remain in the reserves until they are 65, and, consequently, are called up to take part in exercises once in a while. Thus, although the professional army in Finland has less than 25,000 soldiers, in the event of war the state is capable of calling up almost one million citizens to arms in a relatively short period of time. On top of that, throughout the year, the National Defense Training Association of Finland organizes various courses for every person over the age of 16, and there are always plenty of volunteers, who gladly use the opportunity to, for instance, improve their shooting skills, or provide assistance to the Red Cross.
All this formed the basis of a system that experts call total defense. A similar concept is being developed by Sweden and the Baltic states, among others. They train their populations in various ways, build up reserves, and, after many years, have also reinstated conscription (with the exception of Estonia, which has never abandoned it). This trend is becoming increasingly popular in Europe. Basic military service, in a very limited form, has been reinstated by Germany and France, among others. Also, volunteers will be called up for several months of training in the army. If there are not enough of them, Germany plans to conscript young men on the basis of a random draw.
Poland does not want to reinstate conscription. It has opted for mass training, organized both for civilians and reservists, and the assumptions are impressive. “Only in 2026, we are planning to train a total of 100,000 people, and maintain that level until at least 2039. In a dozen or so years, it will amount to over a million trained citizens,” announces Col Robert Głuśniewski, head of the department of planning reserve forces training and vocational education at the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces.
For the time being, military and civilian experts are analyzing the material provided by the pilot training. And although there are still plenty of questions, the initial conclusions seem promising.
Reach the Young
The wGotowości trial run started on November 22 and lasted almost to the end of December. It offered training for civilians. The courses were divided into four modules – security, survival, medical and cyber hygiene, and were to contribute to building social resilience. This phase of the project involved 132 military units around the country. The classes were conducted by adequately trained Territorial Defense Forces instructors and soldiers from operational units, supported by other uniformed services. The survival module included, for instance, classes conducted by firefighters on using fire extinguishers and distinguishing their types. “We opted for short and intensive training. We wanted the classes to be available to people who work, have families, without the need to take time off work,” explains Col Artur Barański, Deputy Chief of the Training Directorate (P7) of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces.
The interest in the training courses was unexpectedly high. Ultimately, around 16,000 people took part in the classes. “The highest number of participants was in central Poland. Slightly fewer people took part in the peripheral areas of the country, including the eastern border region. Possibly because people in that region generally know better how to handle various threats. From their point of view, the war is literally over the fence,” emphasizes Anna Pacholska, who is responsible for the wGotowości project on behalf of the Operational Center of the Ministry of National Defense. The situation was similar in the case of large cities and smaller towns, especially those with garrisons. The MOND and the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces tried to react to this situation on an ongoing basis. “If, for example, there were less than ten people interested in the training in a given town, we would cancel it, and offer a different, nearby location to the people who had already signed up. On the other hand, in places where the number of volunteers exceeded the limit and long waiting lists had to be created, we organized additional classes,” explains Anna Pacholska.
People of various ages signed up for the courses. Almost 41% of them were women. The oldest participant was 91, but the average age was between 40 and 50 (almost 40% of participants). There was less interest in the training among young people aged 25 and under, only slightly above 6%. “We must remember, though, that young people might be more interested in military training such as voluntary basic military service or its shorter form, Wakacje z wojskiem [Holidays with the Army], which is confirmed by the number of people signing up for those programs. We will nevertheless try to find an effective way to reach the young also with the defense training offer, and convince them that the training could be both an opportunity to gain useful knowledge and a chance to have fun,” emphasizes Anna Pacholska.
The next stage of the program will be the creation of the #wGotowości mobile app. It is intended to be a means of communication that enables the volunteers to sign up for future courses, but also an educational and training tool. “It will be easy, intuitive, and available for various age groups. It can’t be a solution reserved only for technologically proficient people,” says Col Artur Barański.
Towards Reserves
Training will return in the first quarter of 2026. However, courses aimed at building social resilience among civilians will be more extensive and a bit differently organized – they will again be divided into four modules, but this time the responsibility for conducting them will fall to a larger extent on the services subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior and Administration. “We want some of the civilian courses to be conducted by institutions which deal with emergency response, rescue and internal security on a daily basis. I am referring to services subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior and Administration. This will allow us to better use their experience and at the same time enable the military to shift its efforts to training the reserves,” announced Col Artur Barański. This segment will still engage TDF instructors, though.
A new element that will appear in training courses for civilians will be group classes organized in educational institutions, offices, companies, and workplaces, with soldiers as instructors. “So far, over 400 entities have expressed initial interest in this type of classes. They include schools, but also large corporations such as Orlen or T-Mobile,” says Anna Pacholska, adding that while individual training is aimed at Polish citizens, group training, which will take place on the premises of the participating companies, can also be attended by foreigners employed there.
At its base, the wGotowości project was intended not only for civilians. Poland also plans to train reservists who, if necessary, will join the ranks of the army. Once again, the program draws on the experience gained from projects that the military has been implementing for some time. A flagship example is voluntary basic military service, a project designed for everyone over the age of 18 who is in good health and has a clean record. Candidates apply to military recruitment centers and, after successfully passing the qualification process, undergo 28 days of basic training. During this time, they receive a gross salary of approximately PLN 6,300. After completing this stage, they have several options to choose from – they can join passive or active reserves, or begin an 11-month specialist training program and later apply for professional military service. “Since the program began, over 44,000 soldiers have joined the army in this way,” says Capt Michał Gełej, spokesperson for the Central Military Recruitment Center. There are several other programs like that, including Wakacje z wojskiem. In 2025 alone, a total of 54,000 volunteers joined the army or reserves through such programs.
The wGotowości program introduces a slightly modified mechanism. “The starting point is basic training – aimed at people who have not previously served in the army but want to become reserve soldiers. It lasts 28 days and covers regulations, drill, shooting training, elements of tactics, and functioning within the military structure,” lists Col Robert Głuśniewski. In this respect, wGotowości does not differ significantly from what the army has offered in other programs. The differences start later. After completing the training, the volunteer is transferred to the reserve, but, as the military emphasizes, this is only the beginning of their relationship with the army. Reservists will have the opportunity to undergo regular follow-up training.
The idea is for the reserves to constantly maintain their combat readiness. Each reservist will have the opportunity to voluntarily sign up for selected training courses. “We are opting for a systemic approach and predictability. We want reservists to be treated not as someone ‘on call’, but as part of a system, with a clearly defined development path. At the same time, we must take into account the realities of their professional and family life,” says BrigGen Rafał Miernik.
Not all classes will be conducted by the military. “Basic training, team building, and training with military equipment remain the domain of the Polish Armed Forces. However, given the large scale of the program, not all elements of individual training must and should be carried out exclusively in military units,” emphasizes BrigGen Rafał Miernik. “We want reserve soldiers to have the opportunity to undergo individual training at a time and place most convenient for them. Therefore, we are considering involving external entities: shooting associations, pro-defense organizations, sports clubs, and training companies. It will all be conducted in full compliance with military standards, after certification of instructors and under constant supervision of the quality of the process. The Military Property Agency will be responsible for contracting and organization. In addition, the Ministry of National Defense plans to introduce a system of incentives and benefits for active reserve soldiers. Other ministries will also be involved in developing this special package for reservists,” adds BrigGen Rafał Miernik.
One element of reserve training is a program carried out in cooperation with civilian universities. “It is addressed to people who have leadership skills and want to serve as officers in the reserves. In practice, this means studying at a reserve officer cadet school or doing other forms of officer training that will be established at civilian universities,” says Col Robert Głuśniewski. Those who wish to follow this path will first undergo a qualification process, followed by multi-stage training. “We intend to prepare candidates to perform specific roles,” announces Col Artur Barański. After completing the training, participants will receive an officer’s rank and remain in the reserve, but will regularly practice their skills in a particular unit to reinforce its ranks if necessary. “Committing to this form of education will bring students a specific benefit. As announced at a conference by the Minister of National Defense, cadet students will receive a monthly scholarship of PLN 1,000. As military personnel, we see a great opportunity for a generational change and an improvement in the quality of reserve officer personnel, as well as a contribution to the development of future professionally active citizens, graduates of various faculties and fields of study,” adds BrigGen Rafał Miernik.
The scope of the wGotowości project is extremely broad. “The program is part of a systemic approach to national security. The military cannot function in isolation from society. We need informed citizens who do not panic in crisis situations, who are able to take care of themselves and their surroundings, and who understand the role of the armed forces,” says BrigGen Rafał Miernik. Col Leszek Elak, Prof. expresses a similar opinion: “If our society wants to be safe, it must be strong. Above all, it is a matter of changing the mindset, and this is a process that we must start from scratch. It is a big challenge in a country where 30% of children do not participate in physical education classes.”
Building a resilient state is a task that will take years. Worse still, in today’s increasingly unstable world, the time to achieve this goal is dramatically shrinking. The key issue remains convincing people that training programs such as wGotowości are not a sign of the increasing militarization of society. Nor are they a way of selecting candidates for the front lines. Instead, they are a step toward ensuring that no one has to go to war in the first place. After all, only a strong state can deter potential aggressors.
