Poland is launching a nationwide voluntary defence training programme on November 22 to strengthen civilian resilience and prepare citizens for crisis situations, Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said on November 6.

“We must have the skills, knowledge and practical ability to act in difficult situations. We live in the most dangerous times since the end of World War II,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said, announcing the programme at the General Staff headquarters in Warsaw.

The scheme, six months in the making, comes as Poland—NATO’s biggest defence spender at 4.7% of GDP—seeks to boost its defence and deterrence capabilities after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The pilot stage will involve 132 military units, mostly from the Territorial Defence Forces, which will train volunteers in survival, first aid, home safety and cyber resilience. Participation is open to all adult citizens through the government’s mobile app, mObywatel.

Kosiniak-Kamysz described the initiative as “a lesson in patriotism,” adding that “true responsibility for our homeland means being ready to defend it at every stage.”

Some 20,000 people will take part in individual training sessions by the end of December, rising to 100,000 across all formats by year-end and 400,000 in 2026, according to plans.

The programme has two tracks: “resilience” for civilians without military background and “reserves” for those already linked to the armed forces.

Bordering Russia’s ally Belarus, war-torn Ukraine, and Russia that is “[readying for] a full-scale war in three to four years,” Poland needs to step up the thorough modernisation of its armed forces, including by training all adult men in a system similar to Switzerland’s, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in March.