Poland launches nationwide defense training for 400,000 citizens
Poland has launched a large-scale civilian training program (photo: Getty Images)
Poland is launching a pilot program for general defense training. As part of this initiative, every adult citizen will be able to participate in one-day courses, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, according to RMF24 reports.
The universal defense training program, wReady, will begin on November 22 and conclude on December 14.
Adult citizens of Poland are eligible to participate in the program, and the overall limit for the pilot stage is 25,000 individuals. The training will take place on weekends, last one day, and cover several areas:
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Security,
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Survival,
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Medicine,
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Cyber hygiene.
Registration is already open. Participants can choose a course and location on the map. In total, the program will be implemented by 132 units, mainly from the Territorial Defense Forces, with the participation of the Armed Forces Operational Command.
The Ministry of National Defense emphasizes that defense training is not equivalent to military service, does not involve taking an oath or being enrolled in the reserve, and is designed to teach basic skills for behavior in challenging situations — from floods and traffic accidents to potential security threats.
According to Kosiniak-Kamysz, the program is expected to reach full readiness at the beginning of 2026.
Next year, the Ministry plans to train approximately 400,000 people in various formats, including individual training, group training, within the framework of the Education with the Army project, reserve training, and voluntary service.
This defense program, developed over the past six months, is now available to anyone seeking to acquire essential practical skills for responding to emergencies.
Military training in Poland
At the beginning of the year, Poland decided to introduce a program of voluntary military training instead of mandatory military service in 2026.
The Ministry of National Defense and the General Staff began working on its details.
More information about this can be found in the material by RBC-Ukraine.
In September, it became known that Poland is strengthening its military training for citizens in response to the threat from Russia. It turned out that in the first seven months of 2025, more than 20,000 residents of the country signed up for voluntary training, which became a record figure.
