Poland Emerging as NATO’s Eastern Military Hub with Elevated Defense Spending
Poland has rapidly increased its defense budget to around 4–5 % of GDP, positioning itself as a leading military contributor on NATO’s eastern flank and central to Alliance deterrence efforts.
Poland is accelerating its transformation into a key military pillar on NATO’s eastern flank, driven by sustained investments and force expansion. The government in Warsaw has elevated defence expenditure to one of the highest ratios within the Alliance, approaching the emerging 5 % GDP objective agreed by NATO members for 2035, with current outlays between roughly 4 % and 5 % of GDP.
This fiscal commitment supports a widening modernisation programme, force growth, and acquisition of advanced systems to strengthen deterrence and interoperability with NATO partners. Under these plans, Poland aims to grow its armed forces significantly in the current decade, bolstering its capability to contribute across a range of missions and contingencies.
Modernisation efforts include replacing ageing Soviet-era equipment with Western and allied platforms. Warsaw’s procurement portfolio features heavy armour, modern fighter aircraft, and other key enablers to improve conventional deterrence and operational readiness. These investments also fuel deeper industrial cooperation, encouraging technology transfers and integration with NATO supply chains.
Poland’s defence posture evolution occurs against a backdrop of broader NATO commitments. At the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague, Allies endorsed an expanded defence spending framework targeting 5 % of GDP by 2035, emphasising both core defence requirements and broader security-related expenditures such as infrastructure, resilience, and innovation.
On the eastern flank, persistent concerns over regional security continue to shape NATO’s deterrence and defence planning. Enhanced forward presence programmes and exercises reflect Alliance efforts to reinforce collective security across the Baltic and Black Sea regions. Poland’s contributions are increasingly central to these initiatives, reinforcing both national and Alliance deterrence postures.
