Modern soldiers make conscious decisions about choosing military service, and though they accept its demands, they in exchange expect professionalism, opportunities for growth, and respect for their autonomy.

LtCdr Damian Przybysz is a senior flag officer at the command of the 3rd Flotilla of Ships. “I come from a military family. My father is a warrant officer serving in Darłowo, at a naval aviation base. I grew up nearby, partly actually on the base itself,” he recalls. As a child, he attended virtually every event organized by the unit, went to the military swimming pool, and took part in karate and volleyball classes. He spent a great deal of time with his peers – children of service members, just like him. It could hardly have been otherwise, since he lived in a ‘military’ apartment block. He decided to put on the uniform while still in high school. At first, he considered a career in aviation but ultimately chose the Polish Navy; either way, joining the armed forces was an obvious choice for him.

“I have always been looking for a path that would have a purpose and allow me to do something important for other people,” says Lt Magdalena Trzebińska-Gawin, Press Officer for the 6th Airborne Brigade. “Before joining the service, I studied at the Pedagogical University in Kraków, but when I had the opportunity to build my future with the Brigade, I knew that this was truly the place for me. It was a conscious decision, and I have never regretted it,” our interviewee assures us.

According to data from the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, at the end of June 2026, more than 220,000 soldiers were serving in the Polish Armed Forces – 27,400 officers, 73,900 non-commissioned officers, and 119,000 enlisted personnel. Nearly 38,000 of them – 17% – were women. An overwhelming majority of all service members – 155,000 – were serving in the professional military, while nearly 39,000 were serving in the Territorial Defense Forces. More than 14,000 people were at that time completing voluntary basic military service. At the beginning of 2026, when the armed forces numbered 217,000 personnel, the average age of a soldier was 34.1 years (33 for women and 35.2 for men). All these figures mean that the average service member was born in a free Poland, grew up in a country belonging to NATO, and joined the military after compulsory military service had been suspended. “They do not know the army through conscription, nor do they know the military from before Poland joined NATO. The uniform was not an obligation for them, but a conscious choice. They belong to a generation of soldiers for whom professional military service and operating according to NATO standards are not reform objectives, but the natural and only environment they have ever known,” concludes Marcin Sińczuch, PhD, a sociologist and Deputy Head of the Military Office for Social Research, a unit of the Military Centre for Civic Education (WCEO).

Understanding the Order

This sense of normality extends beyond procedures and training standards. Just a dozen or so years ago, Polish soldiers often went on exercises with allied forces aware that there was much they could learn and catch up on. Today, thanks to the experience they have gained and the enormous scale of modernization carried out over the past several years, that perspective has largely disappeared. “Our soldiers no longer feel inferior to their counterparts in NATO armies,” says LtCol Artur Zielichowski, PhD, Head of the Leadership Theory Department at the General Tadeusz Kościuszko Military University of Land Forces (AWL) in Wrocław. “They are not ashamed of either their training or their equipment. They know that they are partners, not poor relations from Eastern Europe.”

But the change goes much deeper, because the person wearing the uniform has changed as well. This is the result of socio-demographic processes driven by millennials – people born between 1981 and 1996 – and Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012. The latter, in particular, have a strong need to redefine the rules governing social life. “The army remains a faithful reflection of society,” notes Joanna Łatacz, Head of the Military Office for Social Research (WBBS). “It is a truism, but an important one: the changes taking place in society are also taking place in the military.”

There are many such changes. To begin with, it is worth mentioning one that touches on a fundamental issue for the armed forces – an order. Contrary to popular belief, modern soldiers have no problem with discipline or carrying out orders. “The essence of the change lies not in the order itself, but in what precedes it,” explains Marcin Sińczuch. “More and more soldiers expect their commander to listen to their subordinates’ opinions before making a decision, allow them to present their arguments, and jointly analyze possible solutions. Only afterwards a decision is made which, once issued as an order, remains non-negotiable and must be carried out.” LtCol Artur Zielichowski observes the same phenomenon. “Younger soldiers do not expect the demands of military service to disappear,” he says. “They simply want to understand the purpose of their tasks. When they know why an order has been given and what objective it is intended to achieve, they commit themselves to carrying it out with full conviction.” What is therefore changing is not the essence of command, but the way a commander builds authority – based on competence, communication, and trust rather than solely on military rank.

Importance of Family

According to the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces’ data from early 2026, nearly one in two soldiers (47%) is married, while 44% are raising at least one child. Nearly 170,000 children are currently growing up in military families, with almost 6% of soldiers having three or more children and 459 service members having at least five children. This family context inevitably affects the way the armed forces function. Two or three decades ago, soldiers were expected to devote to the army virtually their entire lives. Frequent transfers and separation from their families were considered a natural part of military life. Today, service still requires such sacrifices. “There are long training periods, exercises and courses,” admits Lt Magdalena Trzebińska-Gawin. “You have to organize your time well and appreciate every moment spent together,” she concludes.

At the same time, changes are taking place here as well. “Over the past dozen or so years, we have observed the growing importance of family in soldiers’ value systems,” reports Joanna Łatacz. In the past, being transferred to another unit was considered self-evident. A soldier accepted the consequences, and so did their immediate family, which usually meant one of two scenarios – the entire family moving, or living “between two homes.” Today, service members are more assertive. They expect the military to consider factors such as their spouse’s place of employment, their children’s education, or the possibility of remaining close to their family home. They negotiate their transfers and, in some cases, are prepared to leave the service when their efforts prove unsuccessful. “Modern military, like other employers, must take into account the lives of its personnel outside the workplace,” says the head of the Military Office for Social Research.

The importance of family also comes through in the stories of our other interviewees. Mateusz, a non-commissioned officer with the 16th Mechanized Brigade [the names of soldiers are disclosed at the unit’s request], puts it this way: “I served in Braniewo for eight years and moved there. When a unit was established in Wielbark, I immediately applied to join it because it meant I could return to my home region. Now, I no longer live 200 kilometers from home. It is a great comfort for me – half an hour to work and half an hour back.” His namesake, a private with the 15th Mechanized Brigade, has similar reflections. “The army gave me stability,” he emphasizes. “That turned out to be very important when I had to reconcile my professional life with caring responsibilities for my son, who requires special care. After service, I return home and have time for my child.”

Non-Mutually Exclusive Motivations

Where does patriotism fit into all this? Isn’t there too much pragmatism? “Patriotism and pragmatism are not mutually exclusive, they rather complement each other,” argues Joanna Łatacz. As WBBS research shows, modern soldiers most often cite several reasons for joining the service. They want to do work that is important to the state and serve society, but they also value job stability and a salary that enables them to support their families. LtCol Artur Zielichowski, PhD points out that the motivations that lead someone to put on the uniform do not necessarily have to be the same as those that enable them to remain in the service for many years. “Candidates are attracted by the opportunity to do interesting work, stable employment, prospects for development, and a sense of purpose. However, when doubts arise, in difficult situations, money ceases to be an important motivator. Only ideological and existential motivation can make someone go on yet another exercise and once again endure separation from their family,” emphasizes the AWL lecturer.

Not everyone, therefore, can be a soldier for better or worse – something that is also reflected in the statistics. In 2025, 94.5% of professional soldiers remained in service – the highest retention rate since the beginning of the 21st century. However, of the nearly 7,800 who left the military at that time, 46% had not yet acquired pension entitlements. What is more, a significant proportion of decisions to leave were made within the first five years of service. In other words, several thousand trained soldiers left the armed forces prematurely, some of whom could have remained in service for many more years. “This remains the subject of detailed analysis and measures aimed at strengthening motivation for long-term service,” the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces said in response to the issue.

What could strengthen soldiers’ motivation? Marcin Sińczuch, PhD points out that young people enter military service with very specific expectations. They want to serve in the modern armed forces, train on equipment that offers realistic chances for survival on the contemporary battlefield, and be certain that the system can respond quickly to a changing reality. “In open-ended questions, when we ask soldiers to identify the changes they expect most, the answer that comes up very often is one word: ‘drones,’ followed by several exclamation marks,” concludes the WBBS sociologist. This is not driven by a fascination with new technology, but by the belief that the military should teach what will be needed in wartime.

Space Beyond Service

The discussion so far leads to another conclusion: the modern soldier does not see the uniform as the only possible career path. “They want to see a purpose in their service, develop professionally, and feel that the military is investing in them as well,” notes LtCol Zielichowski. If the military fails to meet these expectations, service members are not afraid to leave. This is the price of professionalization. The military can no longer assume that once it has recruited a soldier, that person will remain in service regardless of circumstances. It must continually earn their loyalty. At the same time, it is competing for increasingly well-educated personnel.

According to data of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, nearly 54% of soldiers have secondary education, while almost 34% have completed higher education. Less than 7% have vocational education, while fewer than 5% have only primary education. This means that nine out of ten soldiers have at least a secondary education, and one in three is a university graduate. These figures illustrate the transformation of the armed forces, which increasingly rely on specialists capable of operating advanced technologies, analyzing information, and functioning in a network-centric environment rather than merely on physically fit personnel. At the same time, however, these skills are also attractive to other potential employers, with whom the military is forced to compete.

Mateusz from the same brigade worked at Jagiellonia Białystok’s Football Academy and ran his own football school before putting on the uniform. Despite his military service, he still has time to train young goalkeepers. In addition, as a soldier serving in the press section, he is developing another passion – photography and graphic design. The army did not force him to give up his previous interests. On the contrary, it created conditions for him to develop them while also fulfilling himself as a soldier.

The subject of this competition cannot be limited to the attributes of military service itself. At a time when Generation Z is increasingly influential, work-life balance and harmony between career and private life also matter. For employers, this means organizing work in a way that allows employees – soldiers in this case – to pursue their own interests. The stories of our interviewees demonstrate how important this can be. Pvt1stClass Magdalena, a driver with the 15th Mechanized Brigade, is an accomplished road cyclist. She joined the army looking for new challenges and discovered a cycling section operating within the unit. Thanks to it, she can train regularly, receive support from a coach, and represent the Polish Armed Forces at competitions. “I combine two things that are important to me – serving my country and sport,” she says. “Training gives me good endurance and makes it easier for me to cope with the physical demands of military service,” she adds.

Motivational Shock

Just a few years ago, for most young people choosing a military career, war remained a distant abstraction. Military service was associated primarily with professional development, stable employment, or the opportunity to do work of particular importance. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, however, forced all these motivations to be confronted with a new reality. War had arrived on Poland’s doorstep, and Moscow’s aggressive policy had begun to pose a direct threat to Poland. “It was a shock for me,” admits LtCdr Damian Przybysz. “During the first days of the Russian aggression, I was reading online news almost constantly. I was also following information coming through military channels. What gave me though the greatest sense of calm and confidence was the example of the Ukrainians, who quickly demonstrated that it is possible to defend yourself even against a theoretically stronger opponent.”

“On February 24, 2022, I realized that peace and security cannot be taken for granted,” recalls Lt Magdalena Trzebińska-Gawin. “Russian aggression made me even more aware of how important the quality of our preparations, our readiness to act, and cooperation with our allies are. Every day of training has taken on greater significance because we know that our skills may one day determine people’s lives and the security of the state.”

All our uniformed interviewees express similar views, painting a picture of something that could be described as a motivational shock.

LtCol Artur Zielichowski points to a key aspect of this phenomenon: the mask coming off. “The greatest success of Satan is convincing people that he does not exist,” the AWL lecturer says, reaching for a religious metaphor. “Our Satan has unmasked himself. We know what he is called, what he looks like, and how he fights. Previously, we did not have an enemy; we had an adversary who was never explicitly identified. Today, we are preparing for war with Russia. Finally, we have a clearly defined objective, and that significantly reduces the risk of doubting the purpose of military service.”

Army Under Scrutiny

This situation affects not only service members – it also influences society, ultimately giving soldiers an extremely important quality. They are a professional group that enjoys enormous public trust. This stems from the belief that the military is not merely another institution of the Polish state, but one of the most important elements guaranteeing its survival.

It is worth noting, however, that the army’s social capital has always been high. In public opinion polls conducted by the Center for Public Opinion Research (CBOS), roughly two-thirds of Poles have typically expressed trust in the military. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has nevertheless clearly strengthened this trend. Whereas in autumn 2018, 64% of respondents rated the activities of the Polish Armed Forces positively, after the outbreak of the war the figure remained at 73%, before rising in 2024 first to 79% and then to a record 83%. At the same time, the share of negative assessments fell from 7% in 2018 to just 5%. Although subsequent surveys showed a slight correction, public trust in the military remains very high – in March 2026, 80% of respondents rated the activities of the Polish Armed Forces positively, while the share of negative assessments remained at just 5%.

High levels of public trust have tangible consequences. As Marcin Sińczuch, PhD observes, Poles no longer regard the military as a burden on the state budget. On the contrary, they accept high defense spending. At the same time, expectations of the armed forces are rising – since society is allocating increasingly greater resources to defense, it expects well-trained soldiers, modern equipment, and an efficiently functioning institution. The military and its personnel are therefore under scrutiny – the Poles pay attention to and openly comment on decisions concerning development and modernization, just as they do with irregularities that come to light. More important, however, is something else: public acceptance of increased defense spending makes it possible to build a modern military, and that is precisely the kind of armed force desired by those already serving and by people considering putting on the uniform. As a result, a mechanism emerges in which the expectations of society and those of soldiers reinforce each other. This is one of the most important foundations for the further development of the Polish Armed Forces.