The generation whose expectations and values diverge from previously accepted norms is largely entering adulthood. This is a challenge for many institutions, including the army. At stake is not only the influx of fresh blood but also young people’s unique skills.

The media often reports that Poles, especially young ones, are rather skeptical about compulsory military service and not particularly eager to defend Poland in case of war. Is this characteristic of Generation Z, known as the self-centered generation? Or perhaps we are asking the wrong questions, and young people are not questioning their duties, but simply do not see themselves playing traditional roles? Maybe the time has come to build greater defense awareness among citizens and a universal defense system where everyone can find their own place?

Proper Balance

We need to start with establishing what Generation Z is. It is generally accepted that they are people born between 1995 and 2012. Anna Chabasińska, PhD, from the Faculty of Law and Security at the Jacob of Juterbogk University in Gorzów Wielkopolski refers to them as “the first global generation shaped by technology.” “Zoomers are swamped in this technological soup,” confirms Gen Rajmund Andrzejczak, former Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces. It was during his term that the army began to watch Generation Z more closely. “They live so much in the virtual world that they neglect some of the competencies necessary to function in the real world. They have problems with building relationships and they are in poor physical condition,” adds Gen Andrzejczak.

“Gen Z lives in the world of dramatic climate, cultural and security-related changes,” continues Anna Chabasińska. “They accept this situation, as they don’t know any other world. However, this has its consequences – if nothing is certain and everything can change at any given moment, if technology shortens distance, Zoomers need quick feedback. They require a reaction to their performance, otherwise they lose interest and leave. In professional relations and large teams it is a difficult requirement to meet. Especially since Zoomers want a servant leadership, where the leader not only praises and reprimands you in person, but generally puts the well-being and development of subordinates first.” This “me” over “us” also has another significance. “For Generation Z, values such as solidarity or justice are important, but peace and quiet is equally important,” claims Anna Chabasińska. “They value stability and consistency as scarce commodities, and this applies to mobility as well. Zoomers expect to work in their place of residence, they don’t want to travel or commute. They are also obsessed with maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Older people consider this to be laziness or even idleness.” What else? Generation Z does not respect traditionally understood authorities. National heroes are not role models for post-Millennials. Young people look up to those similar to them, usually their peers.

“This is the best-educated generation in the history of Poland, and the first one in which the percentage of people with higher education is larger among women (51%) than among men (30%),” adds Gen Andrzejczak. He was the person who inspired the launch of a research project at the Doctrine and Training Center of the Polish Armed Forces (CDiSSZ), aimed at learning the attitudes and values of Generation Z. The final report, published in March 2025, inspires optimism, as over two-thirds of respondents expressed the will to engage – directly or indirectly – in national defense efforts. 48% of respondents aged 18–25 would enlist in the army to take part in the fight. Almost one in five respondents (19%) would work for charities and humanitarian organizations. 26% of young people expressed a desire to leave the country. The CDiSSZ project, however, was only a prelude to more extensive research and involved a specific group of respondents – mainly students of uniformed services classes. It is therefore hard to extend the obtained results to the entire Generation Z. “We are preparing a national study, with a representative sample of several thousand people,” assures BrigGen Rafał Miernik, Chief of the Training Directorate at the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces. “The study will be conducted by the Doctrine and Training Center, with the support of civilian experts, and in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Local Education Authorities. It will begin in September,” announces BrigGen Miernik.

Readiness vs. Age

Meanwhile, we can refer to existing statistics. In 2024, the Public Opinion Research Center (CBOS) published a report on homeland defense readiness. Respondents were asked to indicate what they would do in the event of an armed attack on Poland. The questions regarding particular attitudes were asked separately, so choosing one option did not exclude the possibility to choose others. The results showed that as many as 55% of respondents, risking their lives, would defend their country by engaging in armed combat with the aggressor, e.g. by serving in the armed forces or participating in an armed resistance movement. 72% of the respondents, risking their lives, would defend their country without engaging in armed combat with the aggressor, e.g. by engaging in rescue operations in combat zones. 85% would support defense activities without risking their lives or engaging in armed combat, e.g. by taking part in various forms of help outside combat zones. One in four respondents admitted they would try to leave the country as quickly as possible in the event of war. Importantly, the readiness to take part in open combat is clearly linked to age, and the group most willing to engage in armed confrontation included people aged 45–64 (67%). The only group where the majority of respondents (56%) declared they would not take part in armed combat were those aged 25–34. Only 38% of people in this group would be willing to actively fight to defend the country.

The CBOS report conclusions also indicate that the largest support was given to professional military service, with 92% of respondents in favor. Voluntary basic military service came in second with 90% support. Interestingly, compulsory basic military service for men in time of peace had significantly more supporters than opponents (52% against 44%). However, opponents dominated the group of youngest respondents, with 59% among people aged 18–24 and 50% in the 25–34 age group. The most supporters (61%) were among respondents aged 65 and over.

“In the public debate, the obligation to defend the country is defined in military-centric terms,” points out Weronika Grzebalska, PhD, from the Institute of Political Studies at the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN). “There is emphasis on the availability of various forms of service in the armed forces, with weapons in hand, additionally augmented with a specific cultural trait that glorifies the idea of dying, again with weapons in hand, for the homeland. As a result, young people who now live in the world of slightly different values, are faced with the following alternative: either I become a soldier and most likely die on the front line, or I do nothing, but I will survive.” Meanwhile, the geopolitical situation requires Poland to create a universal defense system, including not only a strong army, but also a large and efficient civil defense force. “Not everyone is capable of killing, which doesn’t mean they are useless in the defense system,” argues Weronika Grzebalska. “When we finally succeed in building an actual civil defense system in Poland, more people will know what to do in the event of threat. Today, it is often lack of knowledge and competence that result in withdrawal and an automatic »no« to serious obligations. There is a strong basis on which we can build both the universal defense system and pro-defense awareness in Poland. A significant minority wants to fight with weapons in hand, but it’s enough to create an army capable of repelling a Russian attack. Moreover, we are recording a very high percentage of declarations regarding civilian activities,” says Weronika Grzebalska, referring to the cited CBOS report, where as many as 85% of the respondents declared supporting defense activities outside the area of direct combat (93% in the youngest age group of 18–24).

Intergenerational Bridge

Support infrastructure is important, but it is still the army and its expansion needs, including reserves, that are crucial to the country’s defense efforts. “In the General Staff, we consider the long-term perspective and we see that demographic problems overlap with generational changes,” says Gen Rafał Miernik. “On the one hand, we have a decline in birth rate, and a vision of a nation of 9 million less people by 2060, and on the other, we have teenagers who think that professional military service will handle all security-related issues. Meanwhile, the amount of external threats is constantly growing. The task of the older generations is to make young people aware of this fact and to prepare them. There’s really no point in resenting them,” appeals the Chief of the Training Directorate at the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces.

BrigGen Rafał Miernik is talking about an intergenerational bridge concept, which involves creating service conditions that would appeal to Gen Z and the following generations. The concept requires in-depth research of post-Millennials, which does not focus on the obvious – after all, the phenomenon of Gen Z has already been the subject of numerous sociological studies – but thoroughly recognize the needs and expectations of young Poles regarding the army, the state and their civic duties.

“One of the things we want to look into are regional differences,” says the General, adding that such data will enable them to design various forms of service adapted to particular regions of the country. “We already know that eastern Poland is a more favorable area of recruitment, but we don’t want to give up on any region,” assures Gen Rafał Miernik. It is hard to predict the results of the research that will be conducted by the Doctrine Center, but it is worth mentioning results of similar studies from other countries. Anna Chabasińska, a member of the team that is researching Generation Z in Poland, gives an example from the USA. A closer look into the US Navy recruitment process in California revealed that young people greatly value their parents’ opinions. It turned out that parents very often influenced their children’s decision to join the US Navy. “If our research also revealed such a correlation, I would recommend communication that influences parents,” says Anna Chabasińska about the future recruitment campaigns.

The mentioned research will last for about a year, but regardless of their results, it is hard to imagine an army that would not be a hierarchical structure requiring high availability. Therefore, recruitment strategies need to put emphasis on other advantages of service, on its unique character. It should be highlighted that the army is changing, acquiring a lot of advanced armament. For young Poles, who enjoy and easily assimilate novelties and innovations, this is an attractive feature of the army.

“We are building a drone component, as the war in Ukraine has shown how important it is to have capabilities in this domain,” argues LtCol Michał Tomczyk from the Department of Communication and Promotion at the Ministry of National Defense. “Operating these devices requires particular skills and manual coordination. So when we get a young person who is an expert in handling a console, for instance, their hobby is a huge asset for us, as we instantly have someone who is competent and already possesses necessary skills.”

Generation Z values organizations that foster flexible working hours and remote work, so it is necessary to focus on promoting service models such as the Territorial Defense Forces, voluntary basic military service, but also various activities undertaken by the Ministry of National Defense in the area of military and pro-defense education (such as the Train with the Army program).

“Teenagers hate wasting time,” says Gen Rafał Miernik, revealing that the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces is working on the concept of trainings within the system of universal defense. The concept details will be disclosed soon, and the General assures that the trainings will be short but of high quality. “A good course has high promotional value and can attract more people,” he says.

Fear of the Unknown

Young people are already drawn to activities connected with defense education. A good example is the program Train with the Army – eight hours of training involving survival skills, shooting, tactics, self-defense, camouflage and first aid. The trainings are conducted by soldiers in military units all over Poland. “We wondered how young people would respond to the program. We were afraid it would become a meme,” recalls LtCol Michał Tomczyk. “Meanwhile, they approached it with a lot of enthusiasm.” The officer admits that several years ago there would probably be a problem with raising such interest in the program, but the security situation in Europe has done the job. “During the first and second editions, we mostly got 30–40-year-olds who already had life experience. Now, 40–50% of the participants are young people,” says the officer, adding that posts and videos from the courses almost immediately appear on social media. The young share their experience and in this way encourage their peers to join.

“The times of recruitment tents are over,” says Col Tomasz Gergelewicz, PhD, from the Operational Center at the Ministry of National Defense. “Young people get their news and information from social media, so this is where we have to promote the army and debunk negative stereotypes about it.” Recruitment strategies taking into account the characteristics of Generation Z must present the army as a place where traditional hierarchy does not exclude openness to dialog, creativity, initiative or cooperation.

“Young people are unheard,” argues Gen Rajmund Andrzejczak, linking the reluctance of Zoomers to engage in ‘older people’s stuff’ with lack of intergenerational communication. “I’m not saying we have to meet all their requirements and expectations, because ultimately we don’t want to build a comfortable social army, but combat-ready armed forces. However, intergenerational conversation is important, as it will help to work out appropriate solutions. If, for example, someone has a problem with running a particular distance, I neither give up on them nor lower the norms. Instead, we make a deal – I give them a certain amount of time to get in shape and work on their stamina, and assure them I am there to help.” In fact, such solutions are already in place. Young soldiers are given a year to meet the fitness standards required in the army (they don’t have to pass PE exams in their first year of service). Another example of flexibility is the less than one-month basic training, after which recruits can decide if they want to stay in the army or not.

This need to be heard also includes an element of participation. Col Tomasz Gergelewicz argues that in the army tailored to the needs of Gen Z, commanders should not rely exclusively on experienced soldiers. Fresh recruits must also feel they have their say about the functioning of the institution. “It’s a generation that wants to be included in the decision-making process. They gladly and openly share their ideas and knowledge. We need to let young people express their thoughts, and use their potential, because in many areas they have more competence than representatives of older generations.”

What else needs to be done? “Service in the army and institutions created within the concept of universal defense will have to be more closely connected with benefits,” claims Gen Rafał Miernik. “I don’t only mean good salaries and tax relief. Military service, in one form or another, must also be associated with obtaining dual-use skills, useful in the military and in civilian life, for which the army would pay, also in the case of renewing licenses or certificates.”

Is it going to work? Will Generation Z take on defense-related obligations? Col Tomasz Gergelewicz is optimistic. “We fear what we don’t know, and Generation Z has not yet been sufficiently tested on the job market, particularly in managerial positions.” So where does the optimism come from? “The cultural and social capital that young people bring with them when entering adulthood is enormous. Joining an institution, not just the army, they don’t have to learn new technologies, they can immediately start developing them. They don’t have to learn languages because they already know them. Let’s just give them the tools and opportunities, and they will spread their wings.”

Gen Rajmund Andrzejczak opts for a realistic approach. “Generation Z is here, whether we like it or not. We can’t choose a different one, and in time, these people will fill institutions, managerial positions. Am I afraid of it? I’m not a professional critic, and at the same time I have this deeply rooted conviction that Poles have incredible abilities to adapt. Young people have not lost this national trait of character.”

The oldest representatives of Generation Z are now 30 years old, the youngest are in their early teens. As a whole, the generation is standing on the threshold of adulthood. It is difficult to predict how it will manage, but one thing is certain: the world of Gen Z will be different, and so will the army.