The acting US Army chief of staff said commanders were instructed to reduce troop levels in Europe
The Pentagon has canceled plans to deploy 4,000 troops to Poland amid growing tensions between President Donald Trump and US allies over policy toward Iran.
The Associated Press reported on Friday that some soldiers from the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division – along with Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles – had already arrived in Poland or were en route when the Pentagon informed them that the deployment had been canceled.
General Christopher LaNeve, the acting Army chief of staff, told Congress that the head of US European Command “received instructions on the force reduction.” He added that “it made the most sense for that brigade not to deploy to the theater.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk appeared to downplay the move, saying he had “received assurances … that these decisions are logistical in nature.” Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said the pullback was linked to a “previously announced change in the presence of some US Armed Forces in Europe.”
More than 10,000 US military personnel are stationed in Poland on a rotational basis.
Although Trump has frequently accused NATO members of failing to spend enough on defense, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently described Poland as a “model ally” after it spent about 4.7% of GDP on defense last year – more than other NATO members.
Earlier in May, the Pentagon announced the withdrawal of 5,000 troops from the roughly 38,000 US service members stationed in Germany. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has been among the European leaders critical of US and Israeli policy toward Iran. Trump, in turn, urged the chancellor to focus on “fixing his broken country.”
Trump has also suggested he could withdraw troops from Spain and Italy after the two countries reportedly denied the use of bases and airfields for strikes related to Iran.
