By way of comparison, France has an army of 200,000 troops, Germany of 180,000 and Britain 148,000. Only the armed forces of the U.S. and Turkey (425,000) are larger than 300,000 personnel. – RR

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Radio Poland
January 10, 2022

Poland builds a 300,000-strong army: defence minister

Poland’s defence minister has said that the government aims to create an army of more than 300,000 troops to guard against Russia’s imperial ambitions.

Mariusz Błaszczak made the declaration in a media interview, published on Tuesday….

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Poland seeks to become ‘a land superpower’

Błaszczak stressed that Poland was forming a new army division on the eastern border, as well as making “unprecedented” purchases of military equipment, to become “a true land superpower in Europe.”

He stated: “We need new units and new military structures. My aim is to build an army of at least 300,000 soldiers.”

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Polish Radio
January 9, 2023

Poland creates new army division on eastern border

Poland’s defence minister has announced the formation of a new army division in the east of the country….

At a ceremony on Monday, Mariusz Błaszczak approved the creation of what will be the fifth division of the Polish land forces….

The defence minister, who is also a deputy prime minister, told those at the ceremony in the northeastern city of Białystok: “Our task is to build a strong Polish army to effectively deter an aggressor, to make sure that the aggressor doesn’t dare attack our country.”

Between 16th and 18th mechanised divisions

He added the government was seeking to “saturate” eastern Poland with troops.

Błaszczak explained that the new 1st Division would be stationed mainly in the northeastern Podlaskie region, between the 16th Mechanised Division, which is based in the northern Warmińsko-Mazurskie province, and the 18th Mechanised Division, which operates chiefly in the central Mazowieckie region and the eastern Lubelskie province.

“The new division will consist of four brigades, each of which will have four battalions,” he added.

The defence minister specified that the new 1st Division would be headquartered in the city of Ciechanów and deploy soldiers in towns such as Łomża, Kolno and Siemiatycze.

Abrams tanks, Krab howitzers, K2 tanks

He announced that the troops would be equipped with “modern military hardware.”

The 1st Division’s armoured brigade is set to receive US-made Abrams tanks and South Korean K2 tanks, while the artillery brigade will be equipped with Polish-made Krab self-propelled gun howitzers, South Korean K9 howitzers and Polish-made Gladius reconnaissance and attack drones, reporters were told.

1st Infantry Division of the Legions

The new unit’s official name will be the 1st Infantry Division of the Legions, in tribute to a prewar Polish unit….