Reduced Budget and Weapons on Credit: Poland Presents 2026 Draft Budget

A draft military budget for 2026 has been submitted to the Polish Sejm, the main features of which include an increase in equipment purchases on credit and a reduction in planned troop recruitment.

Dziennik Zbrojny reported on this.

A record 201.0 billion zlotys (≈ $55.1 billion) is planned for defense from the state budget and the Armed Forces Support Fund (FWSZ), which will account for 4.83% of GDP and 21.7% of the combined expenditures of the budget and the FWSZ.

The key risk lies in the financing structure: 36.7% of defense spending – around $20.2 billion – will be covered by FWSZ debt instruments. By the end of 2026, the fund’s debt could reach $46.9 billion. Under current rules, its repayment will fall on the state budget in 2027–2031, which could limit future investments in technical modernization.

Some of these risks may be mitigated by the EU’s SAFE credit instrument, which offers long-term repayment terms.

Separately, the state budget also outlines an increase in the size of the armed forces for 2026. At the same time, the number of professional soldiers is planned at 155,841 – 5,841 more than in the 2025 plan. However, the government is lowering its expectations regarding the pace of expansion in other personnel categories.

The average annual number of troops in training is set to decrease to 7,800, while the figures for the Voluntary Basic Military Service are reduced to 4,000 – for training purposes.

The Territorial Defense Forces will also have a lower target – 40,000 soldiers instead of 44,000 in the previous budget. The most significant revision concerns the active reserve service, where the planned number is being cut from 30,000 to just 3,000 personnel.

Overall, the average annual number of military personnel and reservists in 2026 may total 227,641 – more than 14,000 fewer compared to the 2025 plan.

The issue of military personnel numbers in Europe is a pressing one today. Despite this, some countries are launching various campaigns to boost recruitment. This also applies to Poland, which plans to send out 235,000 draft notices for medical commission examinations. In addition to men of conscription age, women and citizens over 50 will also be summoned.

Recipients of the notices will include men and a specific group of women over the age of 19. After reporting to the district medical commission, these individuals will undergo a medical examination and an interview with a military representative.

The participants’ data will then be entered into the military registry. Each conscript will receive the rank of private but not a military ID card – this will only be issued to volunteers who wish to join the army. Volunteers who are not interested in military service will be assigned to the so-called passive reserve.