The U.S. is reviewing its “military structure” in Europe but has not yet decided whether its military presence will be cut in Poland or elsewhere on the continent, the Pentagon said.
Concerns are growing in Europe amid reports that Donald Trump, who has repeatedly urged NATO’s European member states to assume greater responsibility for the continent’s security, could withdraw U.S. troops from the region.
On Tuesday, American broadcaster NBC News reported, citing U.S. and European sources, that Trump’s administration was considering removing around half of the additional 20,000 troops deployed to Eastern Europe by former President Joe Biden in response to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Since then, around 80,000 American troops have been stationed in Europe, including 10,000 in Poland on a rotational basis.
Until recently, most of the 10,000 were based at the airport at Jasionka near Rzeszów, southern Poland, which serves as a key logistics hub for military aid to Ukraine.
On Monday, U.S. Army Europe and Africa Command announced it would move personnel and equipment from Jasionka to other parts of Poland.
Officials from both Washington and Warsaw dismissed reports suggesting this could signal a broader U.S. troop withdrawal from Europe.
The U.S. said that the redeployment was aimed at optimizing America’s military operations across the region.
Referring to the redeployment, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said: “This does not mean in any way a reduction of American forces in Poland or in Europe.”
In response to media reports about a potential U.S. military reduction in Europe, the Pentagon press office told Polish public broadcaster TVP Info on Tuesday: “A review of the military structure is currently underway, but no decision has been made yet.
“The U.S. commitment to NATO is strong, but the U.S. expects European allies to lead Europe’s conventional defense.”
The Trump administration has urged NATO members to allocate 5% of their GDP for defense, a significant increase from the current 2% target, which no NATO country, including the U.S., currently meets.
Poland currently allocates the largest proportion of its GDP to defense, earmarking 4.7% for the purpose. It plans to increase that figure to 5% by 2026.
