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Poland is rightly hailed as a European success story. Since 2004, when it joined the EU, the country has more than doubled its gross domestic product per capita and has become the sixth-largest economy in the bloc. As it continues to witness economic growth above the EU average, a low unemployment rate and low debt levels, Warsaw is giving greater attention to what is happening on its eastern border in Ukraine. Indeed, as a front-line country, it is in a situation that demands caution and the building of strong resilience.

Poland has historically been of strategic importance in military confrontations between Eastern and Western Europe. For his 1812 invasion of Russia, Napoleon used the Duchy of Warsaw — covering most of today’s Poland — as a tactical staging ground for his “Grande Armee.” Adolf Hitler’s 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union, known as Operation Barbarossa, also went through Poland. At the time, Poland was already occupied and divided between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, making it the key launchpad for the attack. German forces advanced eastward from Polish territory into Soviet lands via modern-day Belarus, Ukraine and the Baltic states.

And so, beyond Warsaw’s economic growth, one can also understand why Poland is today at the core of a historic military corridor between Europe and Russia. In short, it is the gateway between Western Europe and not only Russia, but Central Asia too. History has repeated this fact many times. This is why today it is interesting to witness how Poland has become a key actor in Europe’s defense.

Firstly, at 4.7 percent of GDP in 2025, Poland has the highest defense spending ratio of all NATO members. Warsaw is not only reinforcing its eastern borders, it is also investing in next-generation warfare tools. With a key focus on interoperability within NATO, Poland has positioned itself, through its military acquisitions, at the heart of the future defense of Europe and the Western bloc.

Poland has positioned itself, through its military acquisitions, at the heart of the future defense of Europe and the Western bloc

Khaled Abou Zahr

Poland has, through hard work and sacrifice, positioned itself as a European champion of dual-use technologies. This refers to technologies, systems or products that can be used for both civilian and military purposes. This is why there is a focus on unmanned systems such as drones, surveillance through artificial intelligence and secure communications — all of which can also bring benefits and growth for the domestic industry; just like GPS unlocked many benefits for the global economy. Warsaw is pushing ahead with an agenda that supports national (and European) defense, as well as technological sovereignty.

This is why cybersecurity is at the heart of Poland’s development. It launched the Cyberspace Defense Forces in February 2022. Recognizing how cyber is now a domain in any war, this is a full military cyber command with both offensive and defensive capabilities. The government has also guaranteed more than €700 million ($807 million) for a “cybershield” to protect the country and plans to invest nearly €2.3 billion toward cyber defense by 2026. It also coordinated NATO’s “Cyber Coalition” exercises and helped set up the Tallinn Mechanism to support Ukraine’s digital resilience.

Just as with its economy, Poland aims to transform into a leading European cyber power. Announced by Minister Katarzyna Pelczynska-Nalecz this year, it is also channeling €6 billion from EU recovery funds into security and dual-use infrastructure.

But Poland will not stop there, as it continues to strengthen its core cyberinfrastructure through the “Cyber Secure Local Government” program. This is an approach that involves significant public-private partnerships with a focus on innovation via startups. This is of course completed with investments in AI and data analytics through Poland’s AI Implementation Center, which directs long-term strategy through 2039.

The economic achievements seen in Poland in recent decades have mostly been overseen by conservative parties

Khaled Abou Zahr

Poland also plays a key role in traditional NATO military exercises and the protection of the transatlantic alliance’s eastern flank. Indeed, it hosts large-scale drills like last year’s Dragon 24, one of the largest in Europe, with 20,000 troops and thousands of vehicles testing rapid reinforcement and multidomain operations. It also supports advanced air missions and rapid deployment exercises.

On the political front, last month’s presidential election produced a narrow victory for Karol Nawrocki against Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski. EU and Western commentators have rushed to describe the new president as a nationalist-populist and his rival a pro-EU candidate. Once again, I believe that the consistent alienation of conservative forces is a dangerous path. To start with, the economic achievements seen in Poland in recent decades have mostly been overseen by conservative parties. This framing is especially dangerous when we consider the global geopolitical environment and the fact that Poland is the eastern front line of both the EU and NATO.

All this criticism materialized due to Nawrocki’s opposition to Ukraine joining Western alliances such as NATO. Yet, when the NATO country that spends the highest percentage of its GDP on defense, has opened its territory and doors to Ukrainians and has historically been the first European nation to be affected by any war with Russia states this concern, then Brussels has to listen and open a dialogue. There is an Arabic saying that states there is a difference between the one who gets hit with a stick and the one who counts the blows. Poland is building resilience that will benefit all of Europe; it is hence time to give it a louder voice.

• Khaled Abou Zahr is the founder of SpaceQuest Ventures, a space-focused investment platform. He is CEO of EurabiaMedia and editor of Al-Watan Al-Arabi.