Poland seeks answers after US halts planned troop deployment

Poland was left rattled after the US abruptly halted the planned deployment of 4,000 troops under a scheduled rotation, prompting two senior Polish defense officials to travel to Washington in search of answers.

Deputy Defense Ministers Paweł Zalewski and Cezary Tomczyk are seeking further details about what Zalewski described as an “incident.”

“Nobody in Poland knew that the rotation of the American brigade would be suspended,” Zalewski told TOK FM radio on Monday morning.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth caught Warsaw off guard by stopping the long-planned deployment of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division.

Pentagon acting press secretary Joel Valdez said the move was “not an unexpected, last-minute decision.”

Around 10,000 US troops are stationed in Poland, most of them rotating through the country on deployments lasting several months. Warsaw views the American military presence as central to its deterrence capability against Russia.

Hegseth’s decision drew criticism from lawmakers in both parties in Washington and surprised officials in Poland.

The US had previously announced plans to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized the US-Israeli war against Iran.

Poland, however, had not condemned the war and remains the highest defense spender in NATO relative to GDP.

Speaking on Monday at the opening ceremony of a repair center in Poland for US-made M1 Abrams tanks, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said: “You have your most loyal ally. It is worth remembering that because America cannot find a better ally anywhere else.”

Tusk described the troop decision as “logistical in nature” and said it would not directly affect Poland’s security or deterrence capabilities.

The sense of surprise in Poland was also underscored by Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, who said:

“We were never informed that the presence of US armed forces in Poland would be reduced. I understand that a restructuring process is underway, but this cannot come at the expense of a loyal ally like Poland. We are a proven and reliable ally, which is why we expect partnership, friendship, and proper information sharing.”

Kosiniak-Kamysz and Chief of the General Staff General Wiesław Kukuła are due to meet this week with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine and General Alexus Grynkewich, commander of US and NATO forces in Europe.

Poland is a close political and military ally of the US and one of the largest European buyers of American weapons for its rapidly expanding armed forces.

Kosiniak-Kamysz stressed that President Donald Trump had previously pledged not to withdraw any US forces from Poland, adding that the country “will not suffer.”

Although deep divisions normally exist between Tusk’s government and the “MAGA”-aligned President Karol Nawrocki, both sides moved quickly to emphasize that Washington still has allies in Poland.

“It is not Poland’s task to review new strategies or a different type of diplomacy, but it is our duty to remind you: here on the Vistula River, you have friends, only friends,” Tusk said.

Marcin Przydacz, Nawrocki’s foreign policy adviser, told a press conference in Rome: “The government can absolutely count on the president’s support, because this is a priority issue; it is a matter of Poland’s security.”

However, Przydacz suggested that recent comments by Tusk questioning in an interview with the Financial Times whether the US remained “committed” to Europe’s defense may not have been helpful.

“First and foremost, we are calling on the government to rein in this anti-American rhetoric, because it serves no purpose, contributes nothing to the security of the Polish state, and is simply irresponsible,” Przydacz said.

Tusk responded by saying: “No one should attempt to endanger Poland’s security for the sake of short-term political interests.”