The Polish government says the US Department of Defense has not taken any decision regarding a reduction in troop numbers in the NATO country.
Poland’s Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote on X that he had learnt this during a conversation with his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth.
“The US Secretary of Defense has confirmed that the US commitment to Poland’s defence and security remains unchanged,” he wrote.
Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a Pentagon official, that the US Department of Defense had halted the deployment of a combat brigade of 4,000 soldiers to Europe.
The decision was reportedly communicated at a meeting between the US European Command (EUCOM) and parts of the US Army. It had actually been expected that the soldiers would be stationed in Poland for a nine-month deployment.
The government in Warsaw immediately denied that the country was affected by the deployment freeze. However, confusion and uncertainty prevailed.
Following his conversation with Hegseth, Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote: "The decisions taken are in no way directed against our strategic partnership. The Pentagon is currently working on a new plan for the deployment of its troops across Europe."
Just under three weeks ago, Hegseth ordered the withdrawal of around 5,000 US troops from Germany. Poland subsequently reaffirmed its willingness to host more US troops.
According to the Polish Ministry of Defence, there are almost 10,000 US troops stationed in Poland. Most of them rotate regularly between various US military bases in Europe.
