<p >One of Poland’s most influential military thinkers and president of Academy24, General (ret.) Jaroslaw Gromadzinski,&nbsp;has advocated a major shift in the country’s defence posture aimed specifically at preparing for war with Russia. His statement reflect a broader consensus in Warsaw, which has invested particularly heavily in expanding its military capabilities with large scale equipment orders from South Korea and the United States. Gromadzinski&nbsp;argued that Poland needed to embrace an “active defence,” and be ready to operate “across the full operational depth of the opponent” by preparing to launch attacks across Russian territory. He also stressed the need to create&nbsp; a million man reserve force, advocating a system modelled on that of Switzerland under which reservists would remain in active reserve units for years and periodically update their skills. “No one will convince me that in a country of 38 million, we cannot build a reserve of one million people,” he stated regarding the country’s potential to achieve these goals.</p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/07/03/article_68669a5164f974_36620942.jpg" title="South Korean Supplied K2 Tanks in the Polish Army"></p><p >Elaborating on the importance of a reserve force that could be very quickly mobilised, Gromadzinski&nbsp;noted: “We are a front-line state. Time is our most critical resource. We will not have weeks to activate our forces in the event of war,” he said. Regarding the means by which the Polish Army could launch attacks deep into Russia in the event of war, he added that the recently ordered American HIMARS and South Korean Chunmoo rocket artillery systems could be of particular value. “Why do we buy these systems? The Russians must know that in the event of aggression, we will use them to strike targets on their territory,” he said. He also particularly emphasised his country’s lack of operational depth, in contrast to neighbouring Ukraine which is almost twice as large. His statement closely follows the <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/poland-himars-deployment-russia-northern-border">unprecedented deployment </a>of HIMARS systems across Russia’s northern border in Finland at the end of May, which served to draw attention to the extent to which the arsenal is being expanded, and the possibility of it being used to strike from the territory of other NATO members should the alliance go to war collectively.</p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/07/03/article_68669a8e6f0dc8_19492015.png" title="ATACMS Ballistic Missile Launch From HIMARS System"></p><p >Gromadzinski’s&nbsp;insights notably echo those made by former Polish chief of the General Staff Rajmund Andrzejczak in October 2024, which <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/ukraine-defeat-posture-polish-chief">projected</a> a much changed security situation for Poland should Ukraine’s territory be fully taken by Russian forces. “After a Russian victory in Ukraine, we would have a Russian division in Lviv, one in Brest and one in Grodno,” he stated at the time, adding: “If they attack even an inch of Lithuanian territory, the response will come immediately. Not on the first day, but in the first minute. We will hit all strategic targets within a radius of 300km. We will attack St. Petersburg directly.” He further noted that Warsaw needed to “take the initiative” in deterring Moscow. “Russia must realise that an attack on Poland or the Baltic countries would also mean its end… That is the only way to deter the Kremlin from such aggression,” Andrzejczak elaborated, highlighting the Defence Ministry’s procurement of “800 missiles with a range of 900 km,” in reference to the purchases of ATACMS missiles for the HIMARS systems.</p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/07/03/article_68669bc72b07b3_73304025.png" title="Launch From Chunmoo Multiple Rocket Launcher System"></p><p >Poland’s ability to attack Russian targets using rocket artillery is expected to be the most formidable within NATO by the mid-2030s. After the first order for HIMARS was placed in 2019, the Polish government in September 2023&nbsp;<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/poland-486-himars-purchase">approved plans</a>&nbsp;to procure 486 more of the systems. In October 2022 a $6 billion framework agreement was also signed for the&nbsp;<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/poland-signs-6-billion-deal-for-288-chunmoo-korean-himars-rocket-artillery-systems-and-ballistic-missiles">acquisition of 288</a>&nbsp;South Korean K239 Chunmoo rocket artillery launchers and thousands of 239mm rockets and 600mm missiles, before&nbsp;a new $1.6 billion order was <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/poland-expands-skorean-chunmoo-order">signed</a>&nbsp; in April 2024 for to acquisition of 72 more launchers. These orders mirrored broader very large scale investments in the country’s ground forces, with procurements of South Korean K2 tanks set to reach&nbsp;<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/south-korea-to-triple-tank-deliveries-to-poland-96-k2s-incoming-in-2025-production-surge">96 vehicles</a>&nbsp;in 2025, of a planned total of 1000 tanks, while orders have also been placed for 116 M1A1 and 250 M1A2 Abrams tanks, and 332 South Korean K9 self propelled howitzers.</p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/07/03/article_68669a21e50304_89749352.jpg" title="Polish Volunteer Corps Personnel in Ukraine"></p><p ><a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/ukraine-20650-personnel-kursk" >Tremendous losses</a>&nbsp;suffered by many elite Ukrainian Army units during a large scale incursion into the Russian Kursk region, <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/ukrainian-recruits-trained-panic" >unsustainable</a> casualty rates, and <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/footage-captured-leo2a6-study" >heavy losses&nbsp;</a>of new&nbsp;<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/patriot-ukraine-iskander-cluster-warhead" >Western equipment</a>&nbsp;sent to the country, have been among the factors shifting the Western consensus on the war towards pessimism from late 2024. These trends have strengthened since then, with the explosion of Ukrainian forces from Kursk, capture of the Lugansk region, advances into Sumy, and the entry of North Korean forces into the war, having been further factors influencing this. Warsaw has stood out among NATO member states not only for its&nbsp;<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/poland-says-no-room-for-negotiations-with-russia-pm-compares-to-negotiation-with-hitler-and-calls-for-fight-against-moscow" >outstandingly hardline</a>&nbsp;position against possible peace talks with Russia, but also for the particularly large scale of its manpower and material contributions to the Ukrainian war effort. Polish contractor units such as the Polish Volunteer Corps have already played a&nbsp;<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/foreign-combatants-donbas-battles-russia" >particularly central role</a>&nbsp;in the war effort on multiple fronts, including recently&nbsp;<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/colombian-polish-ukrainian-defences-sumy" >in the Sumy region</a>.&nbsp;</p>