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Against the backdrop of rising threats in Eastern Europe, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Poland has stepped up and taken a leading role in countering Russia’s aggression on the continent.
Knowing the horrors of being under Moscow’s thumb, Warsaw is not only conducting Major remilitarization but is also becoming a major economic and technological hub in Europe. Poland’s immaculate rise started from its unbreakable spirit amidst the horrors of WWII and communist rule, and the country’s continued growth is an example on the continent, the NATO mutual defense alliance, and Earth in general.
Poland’s Remilitarization Efforts
The Russian invasion of Ukraine sent shockwaves around the world; though some countries have been hesitant to adapt to the new geopolitical realities, Poland refused to sit and stand idly. In March 2022, Poland purchased $4.75 billion of Patriot missiles to bolster the nation’s air defense. Later that same year, Warsaw purchased 250 M1 Abrams tanks from the US and 180 K2 tanks from South Korea.
Furthermore, Poland, witnessing the effectiveness of HIMARS against Russian forces, purchased 500 of the revived late Cold War era weapons system. Supplementing combined arms warfare, Warsaw procured 48 FA50 light attack aircraft, 670 K9 howitzers, and 1400 infantry fighting vehicles.
Preparing to dominate the air in Eastern Europe, Poland purchased 32 F-35As, 48 F-16 Block Cs and Ds, and 12 FA-50s from the South Korean manufacturer KAI, bringing its total fleet to 48 of the latter.
A Growing Economic and Technological Hub
Poland was devastated by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and later five decades of communist rule that affected economic and technological growth. Nevertheless, Warsaw transformed their public and private sectors into a major financial and technological hub.
Poland launched its first satellite, the PW-Sat, 2012 and conducted its first artificial heart implant surgery in 2018. Furthermore, Poland is home to 60,000 technology companies.
Poland’s major geographic advantage has enticed investors to invest in programs there. It is close to growing information technology hubs such as Estonia, Lithuania, Czechia, Germany, and Denmark, and its proximity to the Baltic Sea allows companies to push data and innovate around the country easily.
Breaking out of Soviet-backed stagnation, Poland massively transformed its economy—increasing it by over 177% from the end of communism in 1989 to 2007, and it continues to grow. Diversifying the economy, joining the European Union, and the Balcerowicz Plan all played a major role in pushing Warsaw to the forefront of economic growth on the continent.
An Example of NATO Cooperation and Leadership
Poland is currently amongst the top contributors to defending Ukraine and countering Russian aggression on the continent in both military aid and GDP per capita. As of August 2024, Poland contributed 4.91% of its GDP to Ukraine through economic and military assistance.
Over one-third of the current tanks Ukraine received came from neighboring Poland, which also provided ample amounts of artillery and MiG-29s and is helping the war-battered neighbor train new legions.
Concurrently, Poland is the overall leader in NATO members’ defense spending per GDP. Per the 2% standard that every country in NATO tries to achieve, Poland is the alliance’s top contributor, allocating 4.12% last year and aiming to grow the number to 4.7% of its GDP in 2025.
Sharing a border with Russia’s enclave of Kaliningrad, which is capable of using nuclear-tipped missiles, Poland also faces a future existential threat of Russian expansion over neighboring Ukraine. A Russian victory in Ukraine would be catastrophic for not only Poland but much of Europe as countries such as Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia do not have the capabilities to match Russia.
Furthermore, due to past horrors and conflicts faced with Moscow, Warsaw is aware they would be next in the Kremlin’s Neo-Russian Empire ambitions. Building a military is not just to turn itself into a regional power; Poland is also becoming an overall shield for other Eastern European nations and NATO’s current largest European military.
Lessons from Poland
With its growing military capabilities, information technology sector, and rising economic outlook, Warsaw looks to position itself as a major Eastern European soft power player and a future regional power within the NATO alliance. Through several decades of growth, diversifying economic investments, and growing national pride in lieu of rising Russian threats, Poland positions itself never to be caught off guard again, akin to WWII.
Knowing what it’s like to be partitioned, be placed under foreign rule, and face the horrors of Russian oversight over their sovereignty, Poland is showing NATO and the West as a whole not to submit to appeasement and lack of preparation for future full-scale military confrontations.
[Photo by Spc. Joshua Zayas, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.
Julian McBride is a forensic anthropologist and independent journalist born in New York. He is the founder and director of the Reflections of War Initiative (ROW), an anthropological NGO which aims to tell the stories of the victims of war through art therapy. As a former Marine, he uses this technique not only to help heal PTSD but also to share people’s stories through art, which conveys “the message of the brutality of war better than most news organizations.”
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