US cancellation of troop deployment rattles Poland
A decision by the Pentagon to scrap a planned deployment of around 4,000 US troops to Poland has rattled Polish politicians, who have long assumed that the alliance with Washington is unbreakable – as long as Poland remains America’s most loyal ally in Europe.
The US move triggered a political dispute in Washington and forced Warsaw and NATO to reassure allies that security on the eastern flank has not been weakened – which might be the case since changes to the US military presence in Europe are expected to affect Romania and the Baltic States as well.
The controversy centres on the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, which the US Army announced on March 6 would rotate to Europe as part of a routine replacement cycle under Operation Atlantic Resolve.
The unit’s deployment was halted after some personnel and equipment were already on the move to Poland, US media reported last week.
While the Pentagon rejected suggestions that the decision had been improvised and insisted that it followed a “comprehensive, multilayered process,” both senior military officials in Washington, DC, and lawmakers in Congress appeared surprised and angered.
Acting Army Chief of Staff Gen. Christopher LaNeve told lawmakers the decision was “relatively recent,” while US defence media, such as Stars and Stripes, reported that army leaders had been informed only days earlier, after equipment had already been sent toward Europe.
Republican Rep. Don Bacon described the handling as “reprehensible” and “a slap in the face to Poland,” according to US media.
Polish leadership appeared flummoxed by the move, assuring on the one hand of the continued stalwart alliance with the US but also sending signals of disappointment by being treated unlike the “model ally,” as Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had described Poland not long ago.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the US decisions were “logistical” and did not threaten Poland’s security, according to the Polish government.
Poland’s defence planning is built around the expectation that the US would respond swiftly in the event of a major security crisis, including a possible Russian attack. The Pentagon’s unilateral decision therefore triggered public assurances of alliance loyalty alongside frustration.
“You have the most loyal ally. It is worth remembering that, because America will not find a better ally anywhere,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on May 18.
“We are a proven and reliable ally, which is why we expect partnership, friendship and a good exchange of information,” Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
Some 10,000 US soldiers and civilian defence personnel remain in Poland. The country is also one of Europe’s biggest purchasers of US military equipment as it has been building deterrence capabilities against Russia since the latter's takeover of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
Security policy is usually an area of broad political consensus in Poland. Aides to President Karol Nawrocki said he was ready to back the government over the issue.
“The government can certainly count on the president’s support, because this is a priority issue — a matter of Poland’s security,” Marcin Przydacz, Nawrocki’s foreign policy aide, said.
Still, Przydacz suggested that Tusk’s recent remarks in an interview with The Financial Times, in which he questioned whether the US was “loyal” to Europe’s defence, may have angered the US.
“We urge the government above all to rein in this anti-American narrative,” Przydacz said.
Meanwhile, senior Polish defence ministry officials are in Washington this week to seek clarification over the cancellation.
Other meetings of top officials are scheduled in Warsaw, involving Kosiniak-Kamysz, Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces General Wiesław Kukuła, and US generals Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Alexus Grynkewich, commander of US and NATO forces in Europe.
Pentagon says it reduced US troop brigades in Europe from four to three
The Pentagon said on Tuesday it was cutting the number of US Brigade Combat Teams stationed in Europe from four to three, returning troop levels to those seen in 2021 as Washington presses European allies to assume greater responsibility for regional defence. The move will temporarily delay the deployment of additional US forces to Poland.
Issued on: 20/05/2026
By: FRANCE 24
The Department of Defense said Tuesday it was reducing the number of US troop brigades in Europe from four to three, taking the deployment back to 2021 levels, as Washington pressures the continent to do more for its own defense.
The Pentagon "has reduced the total number of Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) assigned to Europe from four to three," it said in a statement. A BCT comprises 4,000-4,700 personnel, according to a Congressional report.
The statement said that the reduction was resulting in a "temporary delay" of the deployment of US forces to Poland
That announcement was preceded earlier Tuesday by US Vice President JD Vance saying that a planned deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland had been delayed rather than canceled.
"The Department will determine the final disposition of these and other US forces in Europe based on further analysis of US strategic and operational requirements, as well as our allies' own ability to contribute forces toward Europe's defense," the Pentagonstatement said.
The reduction in brigade combat teams is the culmination of weeks of anticipation about US force reduction in Europe, and Washington's insistence that its allies on the continent invest more in their own defense.
President Donald Trump has appeared determined to punish allies who have failed to back the US-led war against Iran or contribute to a peacekeeping force in the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
The Pentagon announced at the beginning of May that Washington would pull 5,000 troops from Germany.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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