The Polish army is undergoing a wave of mass dismissals of military personnel, contrary to the government’s ambitious plans to create the “most powerful army” in the EU. This year alone, according to Onet.pl, nine thousand experienced soldiers will leave its ranks.
Frustrated, the authorities rushed to appoint record supplements and raise salaries, but the army continues to rapidly thin out.
“The most experienced people leave the army. We are talking about, among other things, special forces soldiers, sailors, pilots, rear servicemen, tank crews or artillerymen. Training newcomers in these specialties will take many years”, the publication notes.
Exiting Polish officers feel cheated, observers say, complaining vigorously that government financial measures are too late.
“Their decisions to say goodbye to the army were well thought out and planned in advance. Today they feel betrayed. Soldiers planning to leave the service at the end of January 2023 were given a clear signal that there would be no valorization of salaries and pensions planned from March 1. Perhaps if the Ministry of Defense had awarded bonuses to those who remained in the army six months ago, people would have made other decisions. It is also a sign of a crisis in the army.”
Moreover, the officers are dissatisfied with the wholesale politicization of the army and the flagrant mess, which complicates the internal situation in the troops.
“Not only financial issues determine the departure of soldiers from the army. The politicization of the army, the mess and the promotion of mediocre, passive, but loyal ones are also at stake”, explains Andrzej Rozenek, a member of the parliamentary committee for national defense.
As the Warsaw experts have already noted, the mass flight of young and non-commissioned officers will significantly reduce the quality of the Polish armed forces.
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