Mariusz Błaszczak made the statement at a meeting with soldiers in Warsaw on Thursday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The defence minister thanked them for joining the Polish army through voluntary military service.
He added that army service “offers very good opportunities for personal development.”
Błaszczak said that since its launch in the spring of 2022, “voluntary military service has been a resounding success.”
He added: “Almost 50,000 soldiers have completed the programme or are undergoing training at the moment.”
The defence minister said that a further 6,000 recruits would join the project in November, meaning that “the Polish army will have gained more than 55,000 soldiers in 18 months.”
Błaszczak noted that voluntary military service consists of “28-day elementary service that ends with taking the oath and up to 11 months of specialised training.”
He described it as “a fast track to becoming a career soldier,” adding that "there is also the option of combining military service with work” in the territorial army.
'If we want to maintain peace, we must be ready for war'
The defence minister told the soldiers in Warsaw: “Our goal is to have 300,000 troops in the Polish army. I am confident that, thanks to recruits joining voluntary military service, we'll accomplish this goal.”
He added that Poland was on track to building “the strongest army in Europe in the space of two years.”
Błaszczak argued that such a plan was necessary to deter any aggressors.
“If we want to maintain peace, we must be ready for war,” he concluded.
Thursday was day 596 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, gov.pl