PUBLISHED on August 11, 2025, 12:04 PM EDT – Key Points and Summary – In the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Poland has launched a historic and massive military modernization, becoming one of the world’s top defense spenders.
-Warsaw is allocating nearly 5% of its GDP to defense, fueled by U.S. loans and domestic spending.
-The country is on an unprecedented “spending spree,” acquiring a diverse and powerful arsenal of advanced weapons from the U.S. and South Korea, including Abrams and K2 tanks, HIMARS, and F-35 fighter jets.
-This rapid rearmament is transforming Poland into a major European military power to deter any future Russian aggression.
Poland: Europe’s Next Big Miltiary Power Built to Fight Russia
BERLIN, GERMANY – Poland today is one of the remarkable defense stories that emerged from the aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022.
Although Warsaw has not had to battle Russian forces itself, it has prepared to do so by investing massive amounts of money into defense, rapidly expanding its capabilities on land and in the air since the Russian invasion.
“Defence budgets in other countries also grew significantly, such as in Poland, which became the 15th largest defence spender globally in 2024, up from 20th place in 2022,” the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a think tank based in London, explained. But it also added a significant caveat.
“Nonetheless, European growth remained outpaced by uplifts in Russia’s total military expenditure, which grew by 41.9% in real terms to reach an estimated RUB13.1trn (USD145.9bn).”
Poland’s defense budget rocketed upward following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, partly thanks to loans and other funding, but also due to boosted domestic spending.
Show Me the Money
Another significant boost to Polish investments in defense has been securing a $4 billion loan from the United States, funds that Warsaw plans to use to continue modernizing its armed forces.
Few other countries, except Ukraine, have moved as quickly as Poland to bolster their forces following the Russian invasion.
Among NATO allies, the Polish expansion has been the most dramatic.
This latest loan follows approximately $11 billion in other loans that the United States has provided to Warsaw. Much of that cash has gone directly to arms purchases, including Apache attack helicopters, HIMARS mobile rocket launching systems, Patriot air defense systems, Abrams main battle tanks, and a plethora of other weapons and platforms.
Poland asserts that it will allocate 4.7 percent of its GDP to defense by the end of this year, a figure expected to increase to 5 percent in 2026.
If achieved, Poland would become one of the NATO alliance’s biggest spenders on defense. The investments are both diverse and expansive.
Buy, Buy, Buy
There is a detectable trend, a correlation, between a European capital’s proximity to Moscow and its level of defense spending.
Predictably, both Spanish and Portuguese defense spending have lacked the impetus to invest in defense that is felt in Vilnius or Riga.
And the same holds for Poland.
American and South Korean producers of military kit have made significant inroads into the Polish military since 2022. The M1A1 and M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks have been imported from the United States. Additionally, the South Korean K2 Black Panther tanks, which are to be produced domestically as the K2PL, have also been selected for import.
Earlier this month, Poland signed an agreement with the South Korean manufacturer for 180 more K2s, along with 81 support vehicles, a deal valued at approximately $6.5 billion. Over 200 South Korean K9 self-propelled howitzers, which, like the K2, are compatible with NATO standard ammunition, join Polish AHS Krab self-propelled howitzers. Those are aided by American HIMARS rocket artillery, used to great benefit by the Ukrainians against Russian forces.
Significant investments in American Patriot air defense systems and other locally produced complementary systems have also been made.
In the realm of military aviation, Poland is transitioning from its legacy Soviet fighters to modern F-35 stealth aircraft. Like Warsaw’s tank orders, those fifth-generation fighters will be complemented by FA-50 aircraft from South Korea. Nearly 100 Apache helicopters will also join the Polish military. Unmanned systems, notably Turkey’s Bayraktar TB2 strike drone and other surveillance UAVs, were purchased too.
Poland has also invested approximately $2.5 billion to strengthen its eastern flank, including with Belarus and Kaliningrad, the Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea. That initiative, called Tarcza Wschód, or East Shield, includes physical barriers like fencing and advanced camera and UAV surveillance systems designed to preempt and stop the influx of migrants into Poland sent via Belarus and Russia to destabilize their border areas.
What Happens Now?
One of the criticisms raised, however, is a potential gap between the funds made available to purchase military equipment and the funds available for investing in spare parts and maintenance personnel that make servicing the equipment possible.
The logistical burden presented by the gargantuan Polish defense investment and the diversity of military equipment now in service is prodigious and will require substantial, sustained investment to keep it online.
About the Author: Caleb Larson
Caleb Larson is an American multiformat journalist based in Berlin, Germany. His work covers the intersection of conflict and society, focusing on American foreign policy and European security. He has reported from Germany, Russia, and the United States. Most recently, he covered the war in Ukraine, reporting extensively on the war’s shifting battle lines from Donbas and writing on the war’s civilian and humanitarian toll. Previously, he worked as a Defense Reporter for POLITICO Europe. You can follow his latest work on X.
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