Defence firms will be able to submit tech via a dedicated portal.  

Polish soldiers will soon be able to purchase equipment directly from a new ‘green list’ of authorised kit as part of “Operation Szpej”, a 3 September Polish Ministry of National Defence (MND) announcement has revealed.  

Operation Spzej is a procurement programme beginning last year to rapidly acquire tactical equipment for the Polish military. The ‘green list’ is the latest initiative under the programme, giving military users more control over equipment purchases.  

To date, over 200,000 Kevlar helmets, 100,000 bulletproof and tactical vests, and over a million uniform items, among other things, have been purchased under Operation Szpej, the MND said. 

With the green list, soldiers will be able to select and purchase their own equipment from a range of kit including tactical clothing, protective gear, rifle stocks, and small drones.  

A group of experts “established within the MND” will manage the list and organise equipment testing, the MND said.  

Crucially for industry, defence firms will be able to submit their kit to the green list via a dedicated portal, strengthening companies access to military users.  

Products are subject to authorisation once submitted to the green list, with the manufacturer bearing the costs of this process. After a successful authorisation process, products will then be listed.  

Manufacturers will also receive feedback and guidance on what they need to refine with their products. 

The preliminary green list is set to be published in early 2026, the MND said. 

Poland has made other changes to procurement in recent months, announcing reforms to drone procurement in July. These changes will see procedures simplified and the Polish military given the power to sidestep public procurement laws.  

Following this, PLN200 million (GBP41 million) was earmarked for drone procurement, highlighting the country’s wider commitment to defence spending, which was also cemented earlier this year in May when Poland secured EU approval to divert a PLN26 billion (GBP5.1 billion) urban transformation fund into defence investment.