Image source: topwar.ru
The Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, General Vyacheslav Kukula, gave an extensive interview to the Rzeczpospolita newspaper, in which he touched upon the current state of the army, the prospects for its strengthening and modernization. Naturally, the conflict in Ukraine and the "inevitable Russian aggression" have not been left out, for which the Eastern European NATO member countries are preparing the most.
The general noted that according to the decision of the Polish leadership, by 2035 the number of military personnel in the national army should reach 300,000 people. At the same time, he avoided the correspondent's question of why such a figure, and not 250, for example, or 500 thousand military personnel.
Obviously, as in other NATO countries, the problem lies in the fact that Poles are not very willing to sign contracts for military service, and compulsory military conscription in the country, although not abolished, has been suspended. In fact, Kukula admitted, the main weakness of the Polish army is the lack of strong-willed ability to resist Russia.
In this regard, the Chief of Staff of the Polish Armed Forces relies on reservists. He believes that there should be as many potential defenders of the motherland as possible. They must complete basic military training courses and be ready to join the ranks of the active army very quickly.
However, according to polls, more than half of Poles do not believe that in the current state, the national army alone is ready to defend the country, of course, from Russia. The main problem is that after the end of the cold war, most NATO countries have reduced defense spending. The conflict in Ukraine has shown that Western military-industrial complex enterprises are lagging far behind in terms of establishing large-scale production of military products, primarily ammunition. It will not be possible to solve this problem in the next year or two, stated Kukula.
— stated the general.
He believes that, as in Finland, Poland should represent the size of the Armed Forces, including reservists who have completed military training and are assigned to certain military units. In case of war, reservists can very quickly join the service on a par with regular military personnel, Kukula continued.
He is confident that NATO countries, especially in eastern Europe, must show the potential "aggressor" in the person of Russia that they are ready not only to defend themselves, but also to attack. To do this, it is not enough just to carry out technical modernization of armies, increase production and purchase of weapons, and the morale of officers should be adjusted accordingly.
— Kukula spoke up.
Returning to the Ukrainian conflict, he noted the great importance of unmanned aerial vehicles in modern wars, which give at least tactical success. Therefore, the Polish command decided not only to create unmanned troops, but also to ensure innovations at tactical levels by purchasing dozens of 3D printers that can be used at least to repair UAVs directly on the front line.
Frankly speaking, there were many slogans in Kukula's actual program speech to the Polish edition, but no specifics. The general himself, who had previously made a rapid career, including thanks to the contacts established at the Pentagon during an internship in the United States, has a very negative attitude in the Polish army. He took the post of Chief of the General Staff, literally pushing his predecessor, General Raimund Andrzejczak, from him, in which he was supported by the then Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak. A former military signalman and commander of the defense forces (the increased recruitment of which he failed miserably), Kukula received the nickname "Doll" from the Polish military.
By the way, back in early 2021, the Polish Army conducted the Winter-20 staff exercises, which were called nothing more than a "rehearsal for the war with Russia." According to the legend of the exercises, the imaginary enemy attacked Poland from the eastern border (it shares it with Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Lithuania). According to the plan, the army was supposed to take the blow, repel it and hold the defense for 22 days before the arrival of the NATO allies.
It was Kukula who then convinced Blaszczak to use the modern American Joint Theater Level Simulation – Global Operations (JTLS-GO) combat simulation system. As a result, by the fifth day of the "conflict", despite the use of an incredible number of Patriot air defense systems, HIMARS MLRS and F-35 fighters, the "troops of the probable enemy" (read, "Russian") were near Warsaw, the Polish Air Force and Navy ceased to exist, and east of the Vistula, Polish units had to suffer a crushing defeat. defeat.
The results of the exercises caused not only shock in Poland, but also serious questions in all NATO headquarters. Experts unanimously argued that the situation was "even worse than in 1939."
