Even the best armies cannot operate effectively without access to facilities that enable soldiers to train and relocate, and that help to maintain and repair their equipment. That is why work on expanding military infrastructure is ongoing throughout Poland.

“We are in a state of permanent expansion,” says MajGen Arkadiusz Szkutnik, Commander of the 18th Mechanized Division. “There are several locations where important investments in military infrastructure are being implemented for the benefit of our division.” Listing the investments in this division alone can illustrate how much is currently being built in the Polish Armed Forces. “Starting with Siedlce, where the most modern headquarters building in Poland, and maybe even in Europe, is located, through the barrack buildings there, to the technical equipment park, canteen, sports hall, and fields,” says the General. On top of that, the technical and garage infrastructure for the Gladius reconnaissance and strike systems, K-9 howitzers, and Homar-K rocket launchers is being expanded in Nowa Dęba. Temporary infrastructure for a planned anti-tank regiment is being built at the Land Forces Training Ground in Lipa. Similar investments are being executed in Wólka Gościeradowska and Gniewczyna Łańcucka, which are new locations for subunits of the 18th Mechanized Brigade and the 21st Podhale Rifle Brigade. There are already operational and continuously expanded facilities in Wojnarowa, where the 21st Light Mountain Battalion is stationed. Barracks with adjacent training areas and garages are also being built in Biała Podlaska, where a reconnaissance battalion and subunits of the 1st Armored Brigade are located.

New barracks, as well as technical and garage facilities for Abrams tanks already exist in Lublin. In Wesoła near Warsaw technical infrastructure for Abrams tanks, barracks, and sports facilities have been built, but there are also plans to expand the training areas adjacent to barracks. In Łomża, an entire infrastructure for Abrams technical equipment will be created from scratch. New technical facilities and infrastructure for another tank battalion of the 1st Armored Brigade will also be built in Sulejówek. LtCol Krzysztof Rabek, Deputy Chief of Staff for support at the headquarters of the 18th Mechanized Division, sums up: “Around 200 smaller or larger projects have been or are being carried out for the needs of the 18th Mechanized Division.” The scale of the investment is truly impressive – and this is only one division we are talking about.

Response to War

The annexation of Crimea by Russia and the outbreak of the war in Donbas prompted the modernization of the Polish Armed Forces, as well as of many other European armies. Already in 2014, at the NATO Summit in Newport, Wales, the increase in defense spending to 2% GDP was declared. The shock caused by the outbreak of a full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022 further increased the pressure and the necessity to expand and modernize armies. It soon became evident that the minimum level of defense spending agreed upon at the summit in Wales would not be enough.

From the perspective of Poland, the necessity to invest in defense seems obvious. New tanks, air defense systems, and aircraft, are constantly procured by our country. A decision has been made to increase the force strength of the army and form new tactical units, an example of which is the 18th Mechanized Division, or the 1st and the 8th Infantry Divisions. All this requires an enormous financial and organizational effort, as it is also necessary to build and expand facilities where soldiers will be located, where they will exercise, as well as buildings to garage, service, or repair new machines. Garrisons to which the new equipment is or will soon be delivered are carrying out large-scale preparations that include expansion and modernization of already existing military bases.

Airports are a flagship example of such investments. The Su-22 fighter-bombers stationed at the 21st Tactical Air Base in Świdwin, western Pomerania, will soon be replaced with the American multirole F-35s, as well as the South Korean FA-50 light combat aircraft. “Due to these changes, around 30 investments of various types are being carried out at the base now,” says Col (Pilot) Roman Stefaniak, Commander of the 21st Tactical Air Base. The modernization project also covers the runway, which will get a new surface and lighting system. Taxiways and parking aprons will be renovated. “Facilities for simulator training, mission planning, and briefing will be built with F-35 pilots in mind,” announces Col (Pilot) Stefaniak. The changes also include demolishing some old aircraft hangars and building new facilities for both F-35s and FA-50s. A few of the old hangars will be renovated. “By 2027, this base will become one of the most modern airports in Poland,” he emphasizes.

The 32nd Tactical Air Base in Łask is also undergoing a major transformation. The runway has been extended and fitted with a modern drainage and icing warning system. This investment, carried out jointly with the US Air Force, cost 100 million zlotys. The upcoming work is to prepare the base to accommodate F-35s with a white-and-red Polish Air Force checkerboard on their wings. The first F-35 ‘Husarz’ [Hussar] aircraft are expected to arrive at the 32nd Tactical Air Base in mid-2026.

A Lot Has Changed at the Air Base in Inowrocław

The 56th Air Base is where the new Apache attack helicopters will be stationed. As part of the preparations to receive them, the control tower has been modernized and the airport has been equipped with the GCA-2000 radar landing system, among other things.

These are all examples from the western part of Poland, but there are also many projects carried out in the east, such as the aforementioned investments in the 18th Mechanized Division. New facilities for armored forces, sappers, reconnaissance, and air defense troops are being built along the entire northeastern and eastern border of the country – from Elbląg, through Bartoszyce, Olecko, Augustów, Białystok, Biała Podlaska, Włodawa, Chełm, all the way to Żurawica, Przemyśl, and Sanok. Logistics facilities, division headquarters, as well as artillery and communications units are also being created or expanded.

Plans, Law, and Finances

Military infrastructure investment spending is growing at an impressive rate in Poland. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s data, this year alone, 7.5 billion Polish zlotys will be allocated to the construction and modernization of training grounds, airports, and barracks. This amount is 5% higher than last year and almost 35% higher than two years ago. Traditionally, the Inspectorate for the Armed Forces Support has the most money to allocate. This year, its budget, reserved for the construction of new facilities and thorough modernization of the existing ones, will reach 5.36 billion zlotys, which is almost four times more than just four years ago. Additionally, 605 million zlotys will be spent on routine repairs and infrastructure maintenance.

The Homeland Defense Act, adopted in March 2022, identifies the sources of financing for projects implemented within the framework of the Armed Forces Development Program: part of the money allocated to the armed forces comes from the Polish state budget, and part from the extra-budgetary Armed Forces Support Fund, which is financed by government-secured bonds. Plans for this year assume that almost 187 billion zlotys, i.e. 4.7% of this year’s GDP, will be allocated to defense. Next year, this amount is expected to increase even further, up to 5% of GDP.

This is national funding, but there are also EU initiatives, such as the Readiness 2030 concept presented by the European Commission in March 2025. It aims to allocate up to 800 billion euros to strengthen the defense infrastructure of EU member states through easily accessible loans and fiscal incentives. It also introduces the possibility of transferring a portion of EU funds to defense-related purposes. Due to this new possibility, a part of the funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan allocated to Poland was transferred to finance, among other things, the construction of defense structures and dual-use infrastructure, mainly related to transport (bridges, roads, tunnels, airports, and airfields).

Some projects are financed jointly by NATO member states through the NATO Security Investment Program. These projects pertain to military infrastructure used by our allies, such as airports, depots, and warehouses. However, the program has also enabled the construction of new barracks for the US Army soldiers at the Głębokie military complex near the Drawsko Pomorskie training ground. Since March, around 500 American soldiers have been stationed there, and in the future, the number is to reach 2,500.

It seems obvious that as a NATO member, Poland is actively and consistently building bilateral relations with individual members of the alliance. Several thousand foreign soldiers who are currently stationed in Poland need to be provided with the necessary living conditions. On top of that, the country needs to be ready to receive and accommodate additional troops who will defend NATO’s eastern flank in case of a threat.

In 2020, Poland and the USA signed the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which provides for making investments that will benefit both parties. The list includes, for example, Camp Kościuszko in Poznań, where the US Army V Corps Forward Command is currently stationed, or the expansion of the Air Base in Powidz, where the US Army Combat Aviation Brigade is stationed. Work on many investments is still ongoing. “Currently, out of 115 investment projects planned for the US Armed Forces, nearly 50 have already been launched,” says Col Michał Kujawski, Head of the Construction Investments Department at the Inspectorate for the Armed Forces Support.

Roads to Security

The armed forces should be well equipped and trained, but also mobile. To this end, they need roads, railways, and airports, which is why a significant number of dual-use investments have recently been carried out in Poland. Civil infrastructure should be built or modernized in a way that allows for both civilian and military use. Examples include roads of considerable width and durability, bridges with adequate weight capacity, and airports that can also accommodate military transport aircraft. In order to prepare for all of this, the Ministry of National Defense is cooperating with other ministries and institutions at the stage of planning, evaluating, and implementing investments that might support defense in one way or another. “The Ministry of Defense has been actively involved in the process of adapting the technical parameters of selected sections of municipal, provincial, and regional roads to military requirements. This is being achieved through, among other things, co-financing investments within the Government Road Development Fund, where the Ministry of National Defense evaluates projects and supports the development of road infrastructure owned by local governments and important for defense” explains Janusz Sejmej, Spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense.

In this context, it is worth mentioning the Security Pact for Poland – Central Pomerania program. It aims to build and expand transport infrastructure in the north of the country, which is crucial for the rapid redeployment of troops and equipment. One example is the so-called Red Road, which is to improve traffic between the port of Gdynia and the Tri-City ring road. However, transport modernization also covers railway lines, which in many places are gradually adapted to the needs of the army. In December 2024, for instance, the Polish railway (PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe) rebuilt two loading points near Opole using funds from the state budget and the EU. Another example is the expansion and modernization of the airport in Wrocław. “The investment involves the construction of a new parking apron and a taxiway for aircraft, the reconstruction of existing taxiways, de-icing area, and the creation of a rapid exit road from the runway,” enumerates Bartosz Wiśniewski, Spokesperson for the Wrocław facility. This will enable the airport to handle a larger number of passengers but also receive more military aircraft, mainly US Air Force machines. The Americans used this airport to transport troops and equipment to the eastern flank. “The investment will cost 376 million Polish zlotys (net amount), which includes 150 million from EU funding,” explains Wiśniewski. Airports in Kraków and Rzeszów, also used for both civilian and military purposes, are awaiting modernization as well.

New Places to Train

There are still more needs, which include areas for exercising and training. Therefore, Polish training grounds have been undergoing a true revolution for the last several years. As an example, a major investment that covered a thorough modernization of the ‘Joanna Mała’ tactical training range was finalized in mid-March 2025 at the Military Training Center in Żagań. “Now, the facility is fully automated. The soldiers can use 1,800 light and heavy targets,” explains LtCol Marek Drabek, commander of the training center in Żagań. Most of them are targets for the infantry, but the range also includes targets for various types of combat vehicles and tanks. “Our main objective was to adapt the training ground to the capabilities of modern equipment. Poland is purchasing Abrams, K2, and Borsuk vehicles. They can strike the enemy at much longer distances. Therefore, the maximum distance to the target on the Joanna tactical training range is 2,800 meters,” explains LtCol Drabek. “What’s more, innovative equipment and technologies will increase the precision of evaluating the skills of shooters and allow for more diverse and efficient exercises, adapted to various scenarios. This, in turn, will increase the effectiveness of training and directly impact the readiness for field operations.” The modernization of ‘Joanna Mała’ cost almost 116 million zlotys.

Apart from new training areas, infrastructure for simulation and virtual training is also being developed, allowing for more realistic and safer preparation of soldiers for combat operations. One example is the implementation of the Gamer laser shooting simulator, which enables subunits up to company level to train in Żagań, and an entire battalion in Drawsko Pomorskie. In recent years, the training ground in Drawsko has been transformed into a Combat Training Center, where NATO allies regularly train alongside Polish soldiers. Its comprehensive battlefield simulation system is one of the flagship investments made in recent years. SSWO Marcin Czerwiński, Spokesman for the Combat Training Center, explains that the implementation of the Gamer required many investments. “We had to create a storage facility for equipment and a place where vehicles and soldiers can be fitted with this equipment and then test it. In another part of the training ground, there is a new building where individual exercises are planned. Finally, a facility housing the command post, nicknamed Biedronka [Ladybug], was built on the tactical range,” lists SSWO Marcin Czerwiński. The investment also included installing a system of cameras and signal-transmitting antennas.

One of the most important comprehensive programs concerning the expansion of military infrastructure to increase the security of NATO’s eastern flank is the East Shield project. It is a belt of military installations intended to protect Poland from any potential enemy invasion, located in one of the most sensitive regions of today’s Europe. The East Shield will include, among other things, modern radar and anti-drone systems, and fortifications – both those created from scratch (such as minefields and concrete installations) and those utilizing natural terrain obstacles, like swamps and bushes. There are also plans to adapt the already existing infrastructure to military needs, by increasing the load-bearing capacity of roads and bridges and covering the critical area with an efficient communications network, among other things. The investment should be completed by 2028. It is to be financed from the state budget (10 billion zlotys) as well as EU funds.

Beneficial Cooperation

Investments in military units and facilities are not only an important element of national defense, but also an opportunity to develop the infrastructure and economy of many towns. It was highlighted by Cezary Tomczyk, Deputy Minister of National Defense, who, while discussing the details of the East Shield, emphasized the three dimensions of the investment: “Firstly, they are the things we often see on a daily basis, such as anti-tank ditches, reinforced anti-tank obstacles and other concrete infrastructure. The second dimension is innovation – anti-drone and reconnaissance systems, and systems of cooperation with other military and civilian services. The third dimension is the social one.” The last dimension is crucial for local communities, as the military creates new possibilities.

Local government officials are fully aware of this fact. Marcin Mądry, Mayor of Susz in the Iława district, where a military unit with up to a thousand soldiers is to be formed, says: “The creation of military infrastructure in our area is above all an opportunity to develop the local economy. Investments related to defense increase the level of employment, stimulate the services market, and support the development of entrepreneurship. The presence of the military has a positive impact on the development of road and energy infrastructure, as well as other socio-economic aspects, benefiting all residents.”

This is confirmed by MajGen Arkadiusz Szkutnik, who says: “Local government officials tell me that they have high hopes connected with the creation of the military unit in their region, since it increases the sense of security, creates job opportunities, new prospects for local businesses, and boosts the development of infrastructure.”

According to Col Michał Kujawski from the Inspectorate for the Armed Forces Support, when it comes to military infrastructure, we can speak of a real revolution in recent years. “It is a matter of growing investment budgets, the pace of construction, and an unprecedented leap in the quality of the constructed buildings. All this has a major impact on increasing Poland’s defense potential,” he sums up. It is hardly surprising that in recent years Poland has consistently pursued a strategy of building modern and effective armed forces, as security is the foundation of the country’s successful development. However, increasing the size of the army, procurement programs and investments in equipment are not enough: it is necessary to ensure balanced development of the infrastructure, which will provide the army with the best possible conditions for operation.

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Translated by Dorota Aszoff