Mandatory military service need not be reintroduced; proved voluntary. We have trained more than 16,000 volunteers, more than we expected – said Deputy Minister of National Defense Marcin Ociepa on Friday.
On RFM FM radio, the deputy minister of the Ministry of National Defense was asked about the magnitude of the departure of soldiers from the army.
More comes than goes
Marcin Ociepa said that “since the United Right has been in power, the number of soldiers in the Polish army has increased, so even though there are more departures, there are also more new soldiers.”
Therefore, we focus on increasing the size of the professional Polish army, territorial military service and such mechanisms that introduce the basic voluntary military service
– said Deputy Minister Ociepa. He added that the increase in the number of volunteers in these formations is enough.
Volunteering has worked
When asked if mandatory basic conscription will be reinstated, the deputy head of the Ministry of National Defense said that “there are no such plans today”. He noted that “basic voluntary military service has proven itself, as more than 16,000 people were trained last year. Volunteers.”
This is more than we expected
grandpa emphasized.
This type of service is very popular. Therefore, today it is not necessary to restore compulsory military service
– said the Deputy Minister of National Defense. He also admitted that “there is no social consensus on the restoration of this type of service”.
As he noted, “we need not militarize society, but form ourselves in the spirit of responsibility for the fatherland, and we carry it out.”
163 thousand soldiers today
When asked about building 300,000 army in the country, the deputy head of the Ministry of National Defense said the scheme is being implemented.
Today we can talk about 163,000. soldiers of different types of armed forces, different types of military service. [..] We will also see growth this year. What – let’s wait until February
said Ociepa. He noted that on January 31 derogations can be withdrawn by the interested party itself.
Even if all those who resigned remained with this decision, we would still have an increase in the number of soldiers of the Polish army
said Ociepa.
Better terms of service
Asked about wage increases, allowances and favorable pension accrual, he explained that the decision in this case “is due to the fact that we want to appreciate the soldiers of the Polish army, who recently passed the exam in defense of the Polish border. , support for refugees, but also in emergency situations related to natural disasters”.
On the other hand, we want to encourage new volunteers to enter military service
– added.
The head of the Ministry of National Defense Mariusz Błaszczak announced the introduction of further incentive benefits to encourage soldiers to remain in service.
After 15 years of service, the military gets an extra 5 percent. salary and another 1 percent. for each subsequent year
– informed Błaszczak on January 9. In 2023, soldiers’ salaries have increased on average by PLN 676 and have been paid with compensation since January.
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rm/PAP
Source: wPolityce
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.