Sławomir Mentzen called for the immediate restoration of universal military training for 19-year-olds. The Confederate MP rejects a model based solely on the professional army and argues that in the event of a conflict with Russia it will not supply Poland with effective defence. The stakes are the numerous, trained reserves and safety of citizens.
The professional army is not enough
According to Defence24, Sławomir Mentzen criticized the concept of defence based solely on professional soldiers. The Confederate MP felt that specified a model meant giving up the anticipation of effectively defending the country in the event of a conflict with Russia. He so called for the immediate restoration of universal military training for 19-year-olds.
The direction of this diagnosis is correct. The professional army remains the core of the state's defense, but even the best-equipped units request back-up: people who know the basics of the usage of weapons, the rules of operation in the team, first aid and rules of conduct during mobilization. The reserve is not built with a message issued at the time of threat. It is created for years, by regular and serious training.
Mentzen's postulate fits into wider dispute over work for the condition of the Polish army. However, the discussion must not get stuck in a organization exchange of charges. Poland needs a strategy that survives a change of government and will be subject to the interest of the state, not the electoral calendar.
Qualification is not yet training
Polish 19-year-olds are already in military qualifications today, but it does not mean doing exercises. In 2026, the qualification continued throughout the country from 2 February to 30 April and included mainly men born in 2007. Its intent was to introduce data into the records and to find physical and intellectual capacity for service, which clearly describes Official information of government administration.
This discrimination is essential. Medical examination and registration do not supply the skills needed during the crisis. The state offers voluntary primary military service to adults who meet requirements, but voluntary recruitment is not the same as the universal preparation of the full yearbook. If Poland wants to have a real reserve, it must go beyond simply administering letters.
You request a project, not a password.
The origin does not give details of Mentzen's proposal. So it is not known how long the training would take, who would be precisely included outside the 19 - year - olds, what would be the exemptions or how they would be reconciled with discipline and work. There is besides a deficiency of information on costs, number of instructors and capacity of training courses. Without these answers, the proposal remains a political direction, not a ready plan.
Government and opposition should discuss this without inexpensive gestures. Universal training must be short, intensive and consistent with basic standards. It should teach what actually increases the resilience of the state, alternatively of turning young people into extras into ill-prepared exercises. At the same time, modern abilities request to be developed, as it reminds us debate around drone troops and MON actions.
Security requires state and citizen duties
Poland lies on the east flank of NATO and has no right to build defences on the hope that time for preparation will always be enough. Strong alliances are needed, but no liable nation gives others the full burden of its defence. The State must supply equipment, instructors and a reasonable organisation. A citizen should know how to behave in the hr of trial.
Mentzen opened the essential discussion. Now he has to come up with specifics and the power to answer his own plan. The dispute over universal training concerns more than 1 year. It concerns whether Poland will have a reserve capable of supporting the professional army, or will stay with the records of people who have never truly been prepared.
Source: Defence24
Source: Defence24
