Poland Might Look to Develop Nuclear Defense Capability

Given its history and its geography, it is no surprise that Poland takes its defense seriously. Its reaction to the “full” Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has been a substantial increase in spending on its military, up from a level that was already more than the (then) NATO target of 2 percent of GDP. Poland will be spending a little under 5 percent of GDP on defense this year.

At a time of increased European doubts over the reliability of the American defense guarantee, there has been speculation that Warsaw might look to develop its own nuclear defense capability.

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Andrew Stuttaford

Andrew Stuttaford is the editor of National Review's Capital Matters.

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Given its history and its geography, it is no surprise that Poland takes its defense seriously. Its reaction to the “full” Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has been a substantial increase in spending on its military, up from a level that was already more than the (then) NATO target of 2 percent of GDP. Poland will be spending a little under 5 percent of GDP on defense this year.

At a time of increased European doubts over the reliability of the American defense guarantee, there has been speculation that Warsaw might look to develop its own nuclear defense capability.