Poll: Poles say Tusk government strengthened army more than PiS

A recent poll suggests that Poles credit the current government led by Donald Tusk with doing more to strengthen the nation's army compared to the previous Law and Justice (PiS) administration. The survey, conducted by SW Research for rp.pl, found that 29.1% of respondents believe Tusk's cabinet has made greater contributions to military enhancement, while 24.5% favored Mateusz Morawiecki's PiS government.

During its tenure, the PiS government, particularly under Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak from 2018 to 2023, significantly boosted defense spending. The defense budget reportedly rose from over 57 billion Polish zloty in 2021 to a record 200 billion zloty in the current year, representing 4.8% of GDP. This period saw the passage of the crucial "Act on the Defense of the Homeland" in 2022 and the signing of substantial equipment contracts with the United States and South Korea, including acquisitions of Abrams and K2 tanks, FA-50 and F-35 fighter jets, and HIMARS rocket launchers.

Since December 2023, the current Ministry of National Defense, led by Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, has continued the modernization process. The government approved the "Strategic Program for the Development of the Polish Armed Forces RP" for the next 15 years and set a goal of reaching 500,000 soldiers by 2030. While the PiS government prioritized large foreign contracts, the current leadership emphasizes orders from the Polish defense industry, development of digital technologies, drones, communications, and air defense.

A key point of contention between the current coalition and PiS regarding military modernization is the implementation of the SAFE financial program, funded by the European Commission with 150 billion euros in loans. Poland has secured 43.7 billion euros (approximately 190 billion zloty) from this fund. In May, Kosiniak-Kamysz signed a package of 29 defense contracts totaling 78–79 billion zloty, with nearly 90% of these funds directed to Polish companies.

Despite these differing approaches, nearly a quarter of respondents (22.8%) felt both governments contributed similarly to strengthening the military, while 23.5% had no opinion on the matter.