The Finnish Way
What does the term stand for? “There is no single definition,” says Col Dariusz Majchrzak, PhD, Deputy Rector for Military Affairs at the War Studies University [ASzWoj]. “In the most general sense, social resilience can be described as the capability of a particular system to operate and function despite the existence of factors which cause less or more serious disturbances,” he explains. They can be brought about by both natural disasters and war. To offer an example: a country falls victim to armed aggression. The adversary strikes critical infrastructure, so there is no electricity, water, or communications in parts of the attacked territory. However, the country has developed mechanisms to control the ensuing chaos. Public administration bodies of various levels, their advisory teams, as well as services, know how to provide the people with basic necessities – supply them with food, water, and secure evacuation routes. The residents themselves are also actively using their knowledge and resources to get through the most difficult time. Figuratively speaking, this system is a bit like a boxing punch bag. It takes a hit, deforms a little, but after a moment it rebounds and returns almost to its previous form.
For this to happen in reality, such a system needs to be created. “The state should develop comprehensive procedures to include not only central institutions, but also uniformed services, local governments, and non-governmental organizations. It has to develop an efficient civil defense system, create a network of hideouts and shelters, but also take care of building resilience among citizens,” emphasizes Col Majchrzak. A good example is Finland, with its total defense concept, which assumes that in crises all citizens are responsible for the fate of the country. Therefore, each of them can take care of themselves and contribute to saving the entire collective.
“The Finns begin building social resilience with the absolute basics,” explains Prof. Wojciech Piotrowicz, a lecturer at the Hanken School of Economics in Finland, an expert in crisis and humanitarian logistics. As early as kindergarten, Finnish children are taught about a healthy lifestyle – they spend a lot of time in the fresh air, do sports, and learn to cooperate.
Finland has retained conscription to the army, and on top of that, trains thousands of reservists every year. “It is a chance for them to obtain additional competencies, expand the network of contacts, and strengthen the bond with people they have met before. Such experience is also usually valued by employers, who know that if someone was, for instance, a platoon commander, they have some knowledge in managing a team. The army is certainly not everything. Many people also get involved in various types of humanitarian missions through NGOs. I am a member of the international reserve of the Finnish Red Cross,” enumerates Prof. Piotrowicz. Finland has been building its system for decades. Why? It had remained a neutral state for a very long time, so when it came to security, it had to largely rely on its resources. Meanwhile, the border of over 1,000 km with the Soviet Union and later Russia hardly guaranteed peaceful sleep.
Despite Finland’s strategic pause in the 1990s, the state has not dismantled its system. Currently, in the face of the increasing threat of Russian imperialism, other NATO states look at Finland with more and more interest. Building collective resilience was one of the subjects of the 2016 NATO Summit in Warsaw, where the leaders of the Alliance made a joint commitment to strengthen it.
Resilience has also been mentioned by representatives of EU institutions. In March 2025, the European Commission presented a new Preparedness Union Strategy, which is to help prepare citizens for various types of crisis and war. The key issue in the strategy is the individual attitude of every resident, so the document includes, among other things, guidelines addressed directly to them. One of the recommendations is to stockpile supplies – food, water, and medications - to be able to survive on their own for 72 hours. According to statistics, after that time, every citizen has the right to expect help from outside.
Poland is also working on its solutions. The subject of collective resilience was first mentioned in the National Security Strategy of the Republic of Poland 2020. The chapter devoted to this issue addresses, among other things, common civic defense, the health system, efficient energy supply, security of telecommunications networks, and cyber security. The following years brought, among other things, the Concept for Comprehensive Strengthening of Resilience, created by the experts of the Government Security Center, as well as the Act on Civil Protection and Civil Defense.
“The attempts to transfer the Finnish system to Poland on a one-to-one basis do not make much sense, mainly due to the different historical and social experiences of the two states. Finland has spent decades building its social resilience based on state institutions, and also local organizations. In Poland, the defense system has always been highly centralized. We can’t make a 180-degree turnaround in an instant. However, many of the Finnish solutions can also be implemented in Poland,” says Prof. Piotrowicz. The key issue in this context is reaching the statistical common citizen, providing them with relevant knowledge and convincing them that it is wise to take it seriously. Simply put: preparing them for the worst-case scenario, even if such a scenario never happens.
Backpack with Powerbank
The most important thing then, is education. “From an early age, children should learn emergency phone numbers, traffic safety rules, or first aid techniques,” emphasizes Col Majchrzak. Authors of school curricula are increasingly incorporating this knowledge. Back in 2009, lessons in safety education were launched in Polish middle schools. Today, such lessons are conducted in the last year of elementary school and the first year of high school. Additionally, in September 2024, compulsory first aid classes were added to the core curriculum. In the current school year, children in grades 1–3 are already taught first aid, and the teachers can count on the support of The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity [Wielka Orkiestra Świątecznej Pomocy – WOŚP]. “We have been fighting for this solution for over a dozen years,” admits Małgorzata Bochniak of WOŚP. In 2006, the foundation started the program “We Save and Teach to Save.” Its instructors organize trainings for early childhood education teachers and provide them with the necessary equipment, such as phantoms on which they can practice CPR. The trained teachers can later transfer this knowledge to their young pupils. “Over nearly 20 years, almost 14,000 schools have joined our campaign. We’ve trained 33,000 teachers, and this is not our final word,” emphasizes Bochniak.
The Ministry of National Defense is also taking part in raising students’ awareness. One of the implemented programs is “Education with the Military,” which includes theoretical and practical classes conducted by soldiers. The students practice making effective calls for help, learn the rules of evacuation and CPR, and are made aware of disinformation. The three editions that have been organized to date, involved 130,000 students from nearly 5,000 elementary schools and high schools. Meanwhile, in April 2025, in Marki near Warsaw, the Minister of National Defense, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, and the Minister of National Education, Barbara Nowacka, signed a letter of intent to continue the program. This year’s edition is to involve a record 100,000 children. “We care about keeping peace. However, it is possible only if we are strong and adequately prepared,” emphasized Deputy Prime Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz in Marki.
The fact is that education at school is still not enough. Teachers will always have a limited amount of time, while the knowledge related to social resilience in its broad sense is extensive, and, as knowledge goes, rarely stays in our heads forever. Therefore, experts advise refreshing it regularly, even more so that the reality around us is undergoing dynamic changes. Moreover, to achieve the desired effect, it is necessary to reach the largest possible number of people, including those who finished school or university a long time ago.
“Therefore, the state must involve many different institutions, such as ours, in the campaign to raise awareness and strengthen the society,” thinks Piotr Błaszczyk, head of the Department of Information Policy at the Government Center for Security [RCB]. It has been three years since the Center published a guide for times of crisis and war, “Be Ready,” from which the readers could learn what to do in the event of enemy troops entering their town, what to keep in mind when looking for shelter, or what items belong in the evacuation backpack. “The guide was incredibly popular. In the first months, there were millions of downloads from our website. No wonder – the impulse for us was the outbreak of war across our eastern border, which caused uncertainty, but also a sort of mobilization among people,” recalls Błaszczyk. He says that today the societal tension seems to have subsided a little. The Russian army is stuck in the east of Ukraine; it has failed to obtain its goals and is still far from the Polish borders. The war itself, after the initial shock, has become somewhat more familiar. This is a mistake. Russia’s imperial ambitions have not changed. Even if the Kremlin is not capable of accomplishing its goals, it is worth considering all possible scenarios for our safety.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of the Interior, and Administration and the Government Center for Security are jointly preparing another guidebook for Polish people. There will be plenty of new things in the publication. “The guidebook is largely universal. The knowledge it provides can be useful not only during war. The last flood proved, for instance, that it is advisable to have a backpack with documents, a flashlight, a sleeping bag, or a powerbank at hand,” points out Błaszczyk.
The activities of the Government Center for Security, however, have a much broader scope. “We try to be active on social media. We regularly post short tips on various aspects of security on Facebook, Instagram, or X,” explains Błaszczyk. The post from April 12, for instance, concerned orientation in an unknown area. The authors reminded readers that it is advisable to pack a map in the evacuation backpack, in case it is impossible to use the GPS in our phones in critical situations.
The representatives of RCB also stress that it is difficult to build social resilience without efficient communication. To facilitate the creation of appropriate mechanisms, a two-year #RESIL-POL program was inaugurated in December 2024. “We are implementing the program in cooperation with the European Commission. We organize meetings with representatives of governors and ministries to discuss mutual needs and expectations. This will result in the development of a crisis communication strategy,” explains Błaszczyk. Information on threats should be clear and reach the citizens quickly to have the expected effect.
Training for All
It is hard to imagine building social resilience without the army. For the military itself, it is a great challenge, but also an opportunity. People trained in one way or another might join the ranks of reservists or enter active service. All this is in line with the plans to expand the army that have been implemented for years. In 2025, the number of soldiers should reach 229,000, which is 22,500 more than last year. The target number is 300,000, and together with the active reserves – even 450,000.
Several programs are to help reach these goals – both those implemented currently and those yet to be announced. Here, we return to “Train with the Army.” While the project itself might not directly concern searching for potential candidates, it could provide an incentive for many of them. The idea is simple: military units scattered across Poland organizing short, free training sessions on weekends for people aged 15 to 65. The volunteers spend eight hours learning basic military skills – elements of tactics, weapon construction, and techniques of survival in hostile terrain. After that, they get a certificate and return home.
“During the five editions to date, we have organized 250 trainings. The number of participants exceeded 28,000,” says LtCol Michał Tomczyk of the Department of Communications and Promotion at the Ministry of National Defense. Several weeks ago, the sixth edition was inaugurated. “Train with the Army is a social phenomenon,” says LtCol Tomczyk. First of all, the project was born as a response to grassroots demand, and second of all, according to surveys, the number of satisfied participants reaches 98–99%. “An important aspect of the training is its local character, as the units get to train their people as it were. This helps to build mutual trust and, consequently, strengthen resilience in local communities,” emphasizes the officer.
Representatives of Military Recruitment Centers are also present at every such training for those who want to obtain more information on voluntary basic military service. This, in turn, is a project addressed to everyone who would like to commit to the army for a longer period. It is aimed at people over 18 who are healthy and have a good reputation. If they successfully pass the recruitment process, they qualify for a 27-day basic training. After completing this stage, they have several options to choose from. They can join the ranks of the active reserve, passive reserve (they differ in the length and frequency of training, among other things), or Territorial Defense Forces [TDF]. They can also begin an 11-month specialist training and later apply to join professional military service. Throughout this time, they receive a monthly salary of about 6,300 zloty gross.
“This year, we have drafted almost 10,000 people for voluntary basic military service. In the previous years, the number of trainees each time circled 43,600,” says Lt Michał Gełej of the Central Military Recruitment Center. What motivates the candidates? “The desire to check their abilities, but also patriotic reasons. The financial factor is also significant, as the army is considered a stable and reliable employer,” enumerates the officer. More and more candidates are also joining the Territorial Defense Forces. Currently, there are 42,000 TDF soldiers, and the target number is to be 8,000 higher.
Meanwhile, the number of people who can handle weapons and know a thing or two about battlefield tactics will soon increase significantly. At the beginning of March, Prime Minister Donald Tusk discussed in the Parliament the idea of universal voluntary military training, which would commence next year and include all willing men aged 18 to 60. In 2027, the number of people trained every year should reach 100,000. The preliminary assumptions of the project are ready, but working on it is still ongoing.
Building a force of trained reservists aligns perfectly with the deterrence strategy, which has been one of the pillars of NATO for decades. Experts strongly emphasize, however, that by building social resilience, we are preparing not only for a potential crisis or armed conflict. To some extent, it is also an answer to the war that has already reached Poland.
Don’t Be a Troll
Russia has been conducting hybrid operations against the West for months. Some of them, such as the intensifying cyber attacks, directly affect Poland. It is possible that it was Russian hackers who were behind the March attack on the Ministry of the Interior and Administration Hospital in Cracow. As a result of the attack, the hospital was forced to suspend admitting patients for some time.
The Kremlin also relies on disinformation. “Russia doesn’t have classic high-impact media in Poland. Therefore, it is trying to be active on social media. Belarus is also carrying out various operations in this sphere,” explains Michał Marek, PhD, of the Research and Academic Computer Network – National Research Institute [NASK]. The aim is mainly to stimulate particular social attitudes. “Russians and Belarusians spread anti-Ukrainian and anti-NATO narratives. They are trying to undermine the trust in the institutions of the Polish state and deepen the divisions in society,” he enumerates. In doing that, they reach for a variety of tools, such as heating up discussions on political and social subjects or distributing fake news through accounts created ad hoc.
The fight with disinformation is an extremely difficult task, if only because of the freedom of speech and the multitude of channels used by the recipients. “Even journalists from major Polish media often get caught in this trap,” thinks Michał Marek. A good example is the story of a truck with explosives allegedly stopped on the Polish-Belarusian border. “At the beginning of April, it was widely spread by the media across our eastern border, and there were so many gaps and question marks in the story that it could hardly be considered credible. Meanwhile, it was also published on some large Polish portals in virtually the same form,” he recalls.
Thus, NASK is trying to raise awareness of disinformation among representatives of various professional groups. “We organize training for local government officials, journalists, teenage students,” enumerates Michał Marek. On April 22, another installment of the nationwide “Don’t Be an Internet Troll” campaign started. It is built around a 30-second spot that warns against sharing unverified information. It can be seen on the Internet and on television, and its audio version also appears on the radio. However, the main burden in terms of protection against disinformation still falls on every common Internet user. “We should be alert when it comes to sensational content and flashy titles, although I am certainly aware that in times of clickbait this is common practice. A red light should flash on in our heads, particularly in situations when such content appears on anonymous accounts or niche portals. In such cases, we should check if the information has also been reported by other media with broader reach, or if it has not been proven false by state institutions,” he recommends.
The question that remains is whether the turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and later the outbreak of a full-scale war in Ukraine, taught us anything. It seems that an increasing number of Poles are becoming aware that their security does not depend solely on the state, but it is a matter of every one of us. However, we can truly find out how resilient we are to various types of disturbances only when trouble comes to our doorstep. For the time being, we have been fortunate enough to avoid war or other calamities, but it is necessary to keep an open mind and obtain as much knowledge as possible. The state, in turn, should provide its people with the largest possible amount of self-improvement tools. The main objective is for the citizens to feel safe, and at the same time gain confidence that state institutions can be trusted.
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Translated by Dorota Aszoff
