Poland is preparing for large-scale military exercises “Iron Defender”
7 August 14:55
The General Staff of the Polish Army has announced that one of the largest military exercises, Iron Defender, will take place in Poland this September, with about 34,000 soldiers from Poland and allied countries participating. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to Polish Radio.
Scale and uniqueness of training
The peculiarity of these educational institutions is their comprehensive nature. For the first time in many years, Poland is conducting maneuvers in formats that bring together all branches of the military: land, air, sea, and cyber units. This is evidence of a major transformation of the Polish army and its adaptation to the modern challenges of hybrid warfare.
The exercise will involve about 600 pieces of military equipment, including weapons from NATO allies. The geography of the maneuvers can cover not only military training grounds in different regions of the country, but also territories outside of them, allowing citizens to observe the movement of troops throughout Poland.
The exercises are of a defensive nature and will be conducted on the ground, in the airspace and in the Baltic Sea.
“Iron Division in the spotlight
The 18th Mechanized Division, known as the “Iron Division,” will play a key role in the exercise. It is the division that will be primarily responsible for the largest part of the maneuvers, Operation Iron Gate 25.
Particular attention is planned to be paid to testing the interaction of various structures of the Polish army, which is especially important against the backdrop of large-scale supplies of modern weapons from the United States and other partner countries.
International cooperation
The exercise will be a real test for international military cooperation. Command and staff exercises with the participation of the US military are planned, as well as joint operations with the national group in Orzhysh.
Not only regular armed forces, but also territorial defense forces will take part, which emphasizes the concept of total defense of the country.
Geopolitical context
Although the Polish command emphasizes the defensive nature of the exercise and denies that it is directed against a specific state, international observers view Iron Defender as a response to the joint Russian-Belarusian maneuvers West 2025.
Such large-scale exercises are taking place in the context of heightened tensions on NATO’s eastern borders. They demonstrate not only Poland’s defense capabilities, but also the Alliance’s readiness to protect the region as a whole.
Significance for regional security
“Iron Defender is becoming an element of the deterrence system in Central and Eastern Europe. The exercise is intended to demonstrate NATO’s unity and the alliance’s ability to respond quickly to certain threats.
For Ukraine, as a neighboring state waging war against Russia, such displays of force by the allies are of particular importance.
