Why is Poland preparing for a full-fledged war with Russia?

A new military powerhouse is emerging on the European continent, and it is not France, Germany, or even the United Kingdom. Poland has decided enough is enough and is armed itself to the teeth—but why is Poland evidently preparing for World War III? To discover out, have a take on today's amazing new narrative! ❗😤⚒⚒😤❗

No, it's not France, Germany, or even Britain; a new military superpower is emerging on the European continent. Poland has decided to stop playing around and is arming heavily, but why? It appears that Poland is getting ready for World War III. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has served as a wake-up call for a Europe that, for three decades, was content to let the United States handle all of its military heavy lifting—while naturally griping endlessly about US militarization. However, the outbreak of war in its backyard has jolted European powers out of their cozy post-Cold War victory naps, and all of a sudden the continent has remembered that there is a significant military threat right next door and that America is still an entire ocean away. It's time to resume gun purchases.

Put away the baguettes and berets. But it's hard to blame Europe for not doing more to fund its own defense. After decades of being prepared to fight an apocalyptic war for the survival of the entire planet, the west collectively sighed with relief as billions of dollars in military spending were diverted to civilian endeavors. Budgets were cut, armies were demobilized, and a significant amount of military hardware was either donated to underdeveloped nations or put in storage for a long period of time. Since extremism has become more prevalent, European militaries have concentrated on fighting small, localized wars, with almost all of the logistics being handled by the US.

As Europe attempted to win over Russia by strengthening trade ties with their irritable neighbor, the next major war would either be won with hugs or won without being fought at all. However, all Europe was able to do was give Russia a great deal of leverage over them because Russia was still involved in wars to further its own interests. Although Europe's combined GDP is many times greater than Russia's, they were caught off guard when war broke out in Ukraine and are unable to out-supply Russia there. Poland, however, was quick to take notice and went on an overnight shopping binge for all kinds of new military gear. Poland has good reason to want to purchase mountains of brand new tanks and other equipment, and that is not hyperbole.

Poland might have found itself at the epicenter of a new military conflict for Europe if Russia's invasion of Ukraine had been planned by a more capable individual, and the major European powers might have offered Poland little, if any, assistance. Britain's military has shrunk to half of what it was at the end of the Cold War, and it has been in military decline for decades. British military personnel earned the moniker "borrowers" during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan due to their propensity to barter for equipment they were lacking. Despite the fact that Britain is an island nation and its ability to send swift forces abroad is its most crucial capability, during those conflicts the British military received this nickname.

In the meantime, their navy has suffered a serious decline, forcing ships to be effectively put into mothballs so that their crews could be employed elsewhere. A damning report detailing serious issues with the Royal Navy was released by the British parliamentary Defense Committee in 2021. These issues included a serious lack of offensive capability and an insufficient number of surface ships and submarines. Germany is dealing with some serious problems of its own. German pilots aren't getting the amount of time in the cockpit they need to stay proficient due to maintenance issues caused by a shortage of trained technicians and spare parts.

Additionally, the nation is unable to meet NATO's requirements for rapid response without consuming other units, putting it at serious risk of being unable to engage in protracted combat. In terms of maintaining a sizable military capability, France is essentially the only European power. Actually, there isn't much we can say negatively about France, aside from the fact that its expeditionary capabilities are still somewhat lacking. However, knowledge gained from counterterrorism operations in Africa is helping to address this issue. However, the fact that Europe has been coasting on the back of the US military for decades does not mean that we are unfairly criticizing it.

Because they anticipated that any conflict they anticipated fighting would involve the United States and its vast logistics capabilities, the Royal Navy gave retiring logistics vessels top priority as a cost-saving measure. Germany retired the majority of its ground-based air defenses because any war it would have been involved in would have assumed air superiority, owing largely to the US. Since the end of the Cold War, Europe has transformed into a force that would support US military prowess in war rather than compete with it. But, given that Europe's favorite historical past time was ruthlessly slaughtering one another for thousands of years, this may not have been such a bad thing.

Poland has realized that its reliance on its European allies for defense is unsustainable in the current environment. The US military is the most powerful in the world, but it is also halfway around the world away. If history is any indication—and it most certainly is if you're Poland—Poland would already be a battleground by the time the US Army arrives in Europe in force. Poland may be the most cursed country in the world, as it has historically been used as a convenient neutral ground for powerful European armies to batter each other to pieces. That's because the country essentially lacks defensive geographical features, allowing invaders to casually stroll right on in at their convenience.

Poland no longer wants to be used as a punching bag by the rest of Europe and is working to field the strongest military force possible. On the eve of Poland's Independence Day, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki addressed the country, saying that the army must be so strong that it need not engage in combat due to its strength alone. This is more fact than fantasy, judging by the volume of weapon orders it has been placing. Poland is increasing its defense spending beginning in 2012. 4 percent to a staggering 5 percent of their GDP—this is higher than even the United States. It also discredits its other NATO allies, who have largely struggled to meet the alliance's minimum standard of 2.

As the nation is committed to increasing its military's size from 150,000 to 300,000 by the year 2035, this commitment is also long-term. But those soldiers will require combat gear, and Poland is buying a ton of it. The US agreed to give Poland a deal for 250 Abrams, a significant upgrade to its land forces, in exchange for sending 240 Soviet-made tanks to Ukraine. However, the country was closely following the fighting in Ukraine and made a direct offer to Lockheed Martin to purchase about 500 HIMARS units. This was a remarkable order that would have elevated Poland to the same level as the United States in terms of HIMAR operations. Unfortunately, the US was buying its own equipment to supplement the weapons that were already in Ukraine and to make even more of them available to it.

It comes as no surprise that other countries were in line to purchase the renowned guided rocket artillery, with even the US wanting to increase its own numbers, given that the conflict in Ukraine has essentially been one big advertisement for Lockheed Martin. After effectively being sold out by the US for the foreseeable future, Poland turned to South Korea for its guided rocket artillery requirements, placing an order for 288 Chunmoo platforms. The Chunmoo is comparable to HIMARS but beefier and can carry twice as many rockets, but at the expense of mobility. Though Poland plans to build up a sizable standing army, it believes the trade-off is worthwhile because it will allow its rocket artillery to operate with less need to conceal itself.

Additionally, Poland signed a contract to purchase 32 F-35s for its air force. Poland, however, shocked the world by returning to South Korea for a number of military purchases, effectively sourcing almost all of its new purchases from the country. A fleet of 48 FA-50s is among the purchases. These are intended to replace its aging MiG fleet and complement its collection of F-16s and, soon, F-35s. Even though Poland won't have a sizable air force for a while, it is on the road to becoming a serious threat to Russia should it ever enter its airspace. Poland is also purchasing 648 K9 howitzers from South Korea to supplement its existing tube artillery.

When combined with its recent purchase of 288 Chunmoo MLRS, this will elevate Poland to the status of one of, if not the largest, artillery powers in Europe besides Russia. Though it has really irritated its neighbors, Poland's purchase of nearly a thousand K2 main battle tanks is by far the most well-known item on its shopping list. The K2 is thought to be a very capable modern tank that was designed exclusively by South Korea. The tank has never been in a battle, and the South Korean government isn't eager to release any classified information, so it's unclear what its true capabilities are.