The decision on its location and structure is the result of analyses and lessons learned from the formation of other tactical units and war exercises, according to Blaszczak.
Marcin Obara/PAP

The Polish defence minister has announced the creation of the eighth Mechanised Division of the Polish Armed Forces with its headquarters in the central town of Nowe Miasto nad Pilica.

“We are preparing to establish a new division. Why is it necessary? Because the Polish army must be strong,” Mariusz Błaszczak, the head of the defence ministry, said on Friday.

The new division is to be stationed in an area south of Warsaw.

The decision on its location and structure is the result of analyses and lessons learned from the formation of other tactical units and war exercises, according to Blaszczak.

Poland radically increased its defence spending after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and has signed multi-billion contracts for weaponry deliveries with the United States and South Korea. Poland has purchased battle tanks, howitzers, missile launchers and attack helicopters, among other equipment.