It has been centuries since Poland was last a great armed power, but the winged hussars are back. When Russia seized Crimea in 2014, Poland’s armed forces were the ninth-biggest in NATO. Today they are third after America and Turkey, having doubled in manpower to over 200,000. The budget has tripled in real terms to $35bn; in Europe, only Britain, France and Germany spend more (see chart). As a percentage of GDP, Poland is well in front.