Trump says US to send 5,000 more troops to Poland after Pentagon’s delay
Washington, May 22 (IANS) US President Donald Trump said his administration will send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland.
“Based on the successful Election of the now President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, who I was proud to Endorse, and our relationship with him, I am pleased to announce that the United States will be sending an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, without providing further details.
The remarks came one week after the Pentagon abruptly delayed a planned deployment of more than 4,000 US-based troops to Poland, where Nawrocki was elected president last year, Xinhua news agency reported.
On Tuesday, the Pentagon announced it had reduced the number of US Brigade Combat Teams assigned to Europe from four to three, returning troop levels to those seen in 2021.
The decision resulted in a temporary delay of the deployment of US forces to Poland, the Department of Defence said in a statement at the time, describing Poland as “a model US ally.”
Currently, there are around 80,000 US troops based in Europe, among them roughly 10,000 in Poland, according to US media reports.
The Pentagon announced earlier that roughly 5,000 US troops would be withdrawn from Germany over the next six to 12 months.
Earlier, as the Pentagon had scrapped plans to temporarily deploy US-based troops to Poland, the head of the US European Command “received the instructions on the force reduction,” said Christopher LaNeve, acting US Army chief of staff, at a congressional hearing last week.
“I’ve worked with him in close consultation on what that force unit would be, and it … made the most sense for that brigade to not do its deployment in theater,” LaNeve said, referring to the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team.
Some elements of the unit had already been sent overseas and its equipment was in transit, the general said.
The order to cancel the deployment came from US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s office, according to the general. No formal announcement has been made.
–IANS
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