Robert Peter Bauer, a retired Dutch admiral and former chair of the NATO Military Committee, spoke after President Donald Trump said an “additional 5,000 troops” would head to Poland, following reports that a 4,000-strong US brigade rotation had been paused. Speaking at the GLOBSEC conference in Prague, Bauer said he had been surprised by the initial delayed or halted deployment, especially as the unit in question had already held its farewell ceremony in the United States. It is not yet entirely clear what the balance of troops in Poland and Europe will look like following Trump’s latest announcement, with the US also due to remove forces from Germany. Polish presidential adviser Marcin Przydacz told TVP World that a “minimum” of 11,000 US troops will now be rotated through Poland, around 1,000 up on present numbers. Bauer said Trump’s apparent U-turn signals that “there is no troops leaving Europe,” meaning that, from the transatlantic alliance’s perspective, “NATO is fine.” He added that observers should pay attention to what’s happening on the ground, rather than the rhetoric coming from the White House. “Don't respond every time on the piece of red meat that President Trump throws into the arena. Look at what the US is actually doing. “Stay calm and carry on. And I think for NATO, there is no danger.” Still, Bauer admitted the messaging was damaging. “I don't like what is happening,” he said. “But… in reality we shouldn’t worry.”