The Ministry of National Defense announced that it wants to call up more reserve soldiers to participate in military exercises. There is also a new law on civil defense in the clearings, which is intended to increase the number of people summoned for military training.
- Military qualification takes place in units throughout the country, from February 1 to April 30, 2024.
- Not only people who are qualified for the first time, but also reservists will be invited to join the units.
- Mainly passive reserve soldiers are called up for exercises.
- In addition, persons with special qualifications and skills useful for the Polish Armed Forces may also be appointed.
According to the new regulations, in the event of mobilization or a state of war, conscripts have 6 hours to report to the designated military unit.
The Minister of National Defense, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, emphasizes that his goal is to increase the size of the Polish army and better prepare it to act in a possible time of threat.
Not only numerical values are important, but operational capabilities, and I will put much more emphasis on this, he emphasized. – Development is needed especially in places that are directly exposed to danger and that a civil defense act is needed, which is already being prepared. We must be ready for every eventuality. The situation in Ukraine is very serious and Russia is unpredictable in its actions, he added.
Who will get the call?
When called, reservists must report to the Recruitment Center, and after receiving a referral – to a specific military unit. Persons who are unable to do so for health reasons will be referred to the District Medical Boards.
In 2024, the following people will be called up for military qualifications:
- men born in 2005;
- men born between 2000 and 2004 who do not have a specific category of fitness for active military service;
- persons who in 2022 and 2023: were recognized by district medical commissions as temporarily unfit for military service due to their health condition, if the period of this incapacity expires before the end of military qualification,
- persons who have been recognized by district medical commissions as temporarily unfit for military service due to their health condition, if the period of this incapacity expires after the completion of military qualification and have submitted an application to change the category of ability referred to in Art. 64 section 4 of the Act of March 11, 2022 on the defense of the homeland, before the date of completion of military qualifications;
- women born in the years 1997–2005 with qualifications useful for military service, who have not yet taken the military qualification, and women studying to obtain these qualifications, who complete studies in fields or professions in the school or academic year 2023/2024 referred to in the regulations issued pursuant to Art. 60 section 7 of the Act of March 11, 2022 on the defense of the homeland;
- persons who are over 18 years of age and have volunteered for military qualification;
- persons with an unregulated relationship with military service until the end of the calendar year in which they turn 60 years of age, if they do not have a specific category of ability for active military service and have registered for military qualification,
- passive reservists.
People who are not on this list and perform one of the so-called professions key to defense. Who will be on this list?
- representatives of the medical and veterinary professions
- people working in aviation and maritime professions,
- psychologists,
- radiologists,
- laboratory diagnostics,
- IT specialists,
- IT specialists,
- navigators,
- translators,
- category C and D drivers,
- cooks.
How is military qualification carried out?
It is worth noting that the qualification itself does not mean being drafted into the army. Its purpose is primarily to determine the ability of citizens to perform military service (assigning a specific category) and to enter data into the military records.
After receiving the summons, the person appointed must appear at the indicated place.
The qualification itself is as follows:
- in the first step, the identity of persons subject to military qualification is checked;
- in the second step, the physical and mental capacity of those summoned is determined;
- further, the preliminary assignment of persons subject to military qualification to particular forms of defense duty and the acceptance of applications for assignment to alternative service;
- in the next step, the data is entered into the records or the military records are updated and the data collected in these records are processed;
- then, information related to military service is provided to those summoned;
- issuance of a certificate of preparation for military qualification, regulated relationship with military service and assessed ability to perform military service;
- the last element is the awarding of the military rank of private and the transfer of persons subject to military qualification to the passive reserve.
When going for the qualification, you must take your ID card, a document confirming your education and medical documentation with you.
During qualification, a military category is assigned:
- A – capable of active military service, excluding professional military service, as well as the ability to perform alternative service
- B — temporarily unfit for active military service;
- D — unfit for active military service in peacetime;
- E – permanently and completely incapable of active military service in peacetime and when mobilization is announced in time of war
Called up for military exercises
Mainly passive reserve soldiers are called up for exercises. Maneuvers can take place in several formulas:
- one-day;
- short-term – lasting continuously for up to 30 days;
- long-term – lasting continuously for up to 90 days;
- rotational – lasting a total of up to 30 days and held with breaks on specific days during a given calendar year
Everyone called to participate in military exercises is entitled to unpaid leave for this period and remuneration, the amount of which depends on the official position held and military rank. It ranges from PLN 130 to PLN 615 per day.
- PLN 130 for a private/sailor;
- PLN 150 for a corporal/mat;
- PLN 165 for a sergeant/petty officer;
- PLN 205 for a naval second lieutenant/lieutenant;
- PLN 320 for a colonel/commander;
- PLN 440 for a division general/vice admiral;
- PLN 515 for lieutenant general/admiral of the fleet;
- PLN 615 for a general/admiral.
Additionally, a person called to exercise also receives a compensatory benefit, which amounts to 1/22 of the employee’s total gross monthly remuneration, but not more than 1/22 of 2.5 times the average monthly remuneration in the enterprise sector applicable in the year preceding the exercise, announced by the President of the Central Statistical Office in Monitor Polski.
The daily rate is multiplied by the number of days of exercise
Who can be exempt from exercise?
Of course, the army also takes into account situations in which a conscript cannot show up for maneuvers. Each such case is considered individually by the parent head of the military recruitment center.
You can be exempt from exercising in the following cases:
- sudden accidental events, such as the death of a family member, an accident of a family member, as well as important professional obligations that cannot be postponed. These events must be supported by appropriate documents,
- poor health condition of the reservist himself, confirmed by medical certificates and medical documentation,
- being a guardian of a child up to the age of 8. It does not matter that the child is taken care of by another guardian (e.g. a spouse). In the case of older children, you need to convince the head of the military recruitment center that child care cannot be transferred to someone else.
- being a guardian of a disabled person, unable to live independently or bedridden.
When is it not necessary to appear for qualification?
The following persons are exempt from the obligation to appear in person for military qualification:
- in relation to whom total incapacity for work on a farm was adjudicated pursuant to the Act of December 20, 1990 on social insurance for farmers (Journal of Laws of 2023, item 208),
- completely incapable of work and incapable of independent existence or recognized as completely incapable of work pursuant to the Act of December 17, 1998 on pensions and annuities from the Social Insurance Fund (Journal of Laws of 2023, item 1251),
- classified as persons with a significant degree of disability or a moderate degree of disability within the meaning of the Act of August 27, 1997 on vocational and social rehabilitation and employment of disabled persons (Journal of Laws of 2023, item 100),
In the case of persons who are obliged to appear for military qualifications, failure to fulfill the obligation may result in fines or forcible removal by the police.
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