Pentagon abruptly cancels deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland - WSJ
The US Department of War has abruptly canceled the deployment of an armored brigade to Poland, which was planned as part of President Donald Trump's plan to reduce the US presence in Europe, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The move follows the Pentagon's announcement this month that it will withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized the White House's handling of the US war with Iran. Trump told reporters that the troop reductions in Europe would be even greater, also threatening to withdraw troops from Italy and Spain.
The Pentagon has said its long-term goal is to shift the burden of conventional defense to European allies and reduce the US military role on the continent.
US officials have said that the cancellation of the deployment of the 2nd Armored Combat Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, which has more than 4,000 troops, is part of a broader reorganization of the U.S. military presence in Europe and that additional steps are likely. While the brigade was headed to Poland, some of its units could operate in other parts of Europe.
But the Trump administration has maintained close ties with Poland, and Trump suggested earlier this month that he might consider redeploying some troops to that country from Germany.
The US Army Command has made recommendations on how to reduce the 5,000 troops in Germany, and a methodical process for adjusting the US force deployment was expected to be implemented.
But War Secretary Pete Hegseth surprised most of the defense department by accelerating the cuts. Some of the equipment and troops from the brigade, known as "Black Jack," were already en route when the deployment was canceled.
The decision to end the armored unit's deployment was announced during a meeting Wednesday between U.S. European Command and the headquarters of US.Army Europe and Africa, a Defense Department spokesman said.
The Pentagon did not say how the cuts fit into its overall plan for defending Europe. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Army Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the acting head of the agency, did not mention the move in their testimony Tuesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
A Pentagon spokesman declined to comment. A senior NATO military official said the alliance would maintain a strong presence on its eastern flank.
Some military officials were surprised that Hegset had canceled a deployment that had already begun, the officials said. US European Command had recommended that the more than 4,000 soldiers in the armored brigade not be replaced after their regular nine-month tour of duty, the Pentagon said, but did not insist that the deployment be stopped midway.
The move is likely to cause a stir in Poland, where a significant portion of the brigade was expected to deploy.
Polish Defense Minister Władyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said in a social media post that the cancellation "does not concern Poland," adding that "it is related to a previously announced change in the presence of some US forces in Europe."
The cuts planned by the Trump administration would return the number of American troops in Europe to 2022 levels - before russia invaded Ukraine. This comes amid other steps the Pentagon has taken to reduce the American presence on the continent.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Polish President Karol Nawrocki previously said that if US President Donald Trump decides to "reduce American military units in Germany, then Poland is ready to accept American soldiers.