Speaking at an oath-taking ceremony for new Territorial Defense Force soldiers in the eastern city of Lublin, Błaszczak thanked all the new servicemen and women for joining the Polish army and encouraged others to follow suit.
He told those gathered that the Polish army "must increase its size and modernize the armaments."
That is why new Territorial Defense Force brigades are being created, he said, one in the eastern Lubelskie region, one in the central Mazowieckie province, and two in Podkarpackie in the southeast, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Last year, a record 13,742 new career soldiers joined the Polish army, according to Błaszczak, who is also a deputy prime minister.
This year, there are a total of 25,000 openings for new soldiers in voluntary military service alone, he announced in a tweet on Sunday.
"New professional army units are being created," Błaszczak said in Lublin, adding that Poland aims to expand its armed forces to "at least 300,000 uniformed personnel."
— TOP TVP INFO (@TOPTVPINFO) January 28, 2023
"The ultimate target is 50,000 Territorial Defense Force members and 250,000 professional soldiers," he told those at the oath-taking ceremony.
"Today we have 164,000 servicemen and women in various units under arms," he said.
Błaszczak also said on Saturday that the Polish army was "rapidly increasing its deterrence potential" amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
He added: "Our armed forces are constantly beefing up their capabilities, which is why new military units are being created and provided with modern, well-tested equipment."
Sunday is day 340 of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
(aj/gs)
Source: PAP