Women now make up more than 20 percent of participants in the "Holidays with the Army" program, which aims to bolster Poland's military reserves.
The first round of the program, which began last week, involves 3,500 young Poles across more than 30 military units nationwide. With a total of three training rounds planned for the holiday period, over 11,000 people have already applied to participate.
"Considering that this is a program aimed exclusively at people between the ages of 18 and 35, interest is really high," Major Renata Mycio of the Central Military Recruitment Center told the newspaper.
"Holidays with the Army" mirrors basic military training, featuring exercises in field survival, military tactics, and operation of military vehicles. Participants don uniforms and handle weapons, providing a realistic military experience.
The program's goal is to draft young citizens who complete the training into the Polish Army reserve. "The participants will take an oath. These will be people who know some basics, have spent some time in the military. So for us, they have a natural, huge potential," Major Michał Tomczyk of the Defense Ministry's Operations Center was cited as saying by "DGP".
He anticipates that some participants will continue in professional or territorial service. "The month-long course is a good formula to find out what military service is in general," Tomczyk added.
While men remain the majority of participants, women account for 20-25 percent of those involved in the program, reflecting a growing trend of female interest in military service, as reported by the Ministry of Defense.
(jh)
Source: PAP
