The director of Poland’s National Security Agency, Jacek Siewiera, is advocating a national conversation about the possibility of mandatory national service. He stresses that simply marching with a rifle in hand is not the central need for today’s armed forces. Instead, the emphasis should be on mandatory civil and public service that goes beyond traditional military conscription.
During a discussion on the This is IT YouTube channel, Siewiera noted that Western countries are engaging in broader and more contentious debates about conscription and national service than Poland is currently undertaking. He expressed puzzlement about why this topic proves so challenging for Poland, saying he does not fully grasp the source of the difficulty.
According to him, Poland’s historical image of the military, shaped by Soviet-era practices, often carried harsh human rights concerns and discipline that did not cultivate genuine order. Those past methods sometimes led to outcomes that were destructive. In contrast, today’s armed forces offer pathways to pursue a wide range of professional, scientific, and personal ambitions, aligning service with modern civic and national goals.
He pointed out that logistics, planning, the deployment of advanced weapons, cyber operations, and cognitive warfare have moved well beyond the traditional front line. The service options available today are diverse, expanding the meaning and scope of what it means to serve the country.
It is important to note that the act of running with a gun constitutes only a small portion of the military’s current needs. In contemporary operations, direct battlefield contact is typically carried out by Special Forces personnel who must be prepared to respond when called upon. This shift reflects the changing nature of national defense in a digital and interconnected world.
The head of the National Security Agency argued for a broad debate about conscription and for a flexible, comprehensive service that reflects citizenship beyond mere financial necessity or labor market participation. The vision is not to compel military service alone but to make civilian service compulsory, with roles that embody civic responsibility and resilience rather than a narrow view of national duty.
Asked about the practical implications of conscription, Siewiera acknowledged that war could complicate the orderly departure of potential draftees. Yet he suggested that it would be improbable for services across Europe to pursue draft evaders. He also stressed that there is a place in the armed forces for people with diverse sexual orientations, emphasizing that no one should face exclusion or coercion based on sexual preference in relation to military service or any role within the service. This stance aligns with contemporary policies that value inclusion and equal opportunity within defense structures.
Poland suspended compulsory military service in 2009 as part of a shift toward a professional army. The current discussion centers on how a modern national service framework could function, linking service opportunities with civic duties and national resilience. The topic resonates with policymakers in North America as many nations weigh how to balance individual freedoms with national security obligations in a digital era where cyber and cognitive warfare demand different skill sets than traditional combat training. [Source attribution: wPolityce]