By Lex Harvey, Kit Maher and Haley Britzky, CNN
President Donald Trump.
Photo: AFP
President Donald Trump has declared the United States will send an additional 5000 troops to Poland, an apparent reversal following recent moves by his administration to reduce the number of US troops in Europe.
The announcement comes one week after Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth stopped the scheduled deployment of a combat team expected to rotate through Poland, a decision his department said was based on frustration with European nations who have “not stepped up when America needed them”.
It also follows an announcement by Trump earlier this month that he was pulling 5000 troops from Germany, whose Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the United States was being “humiliated” in its war with Iran, angering Trump.
In contrast, Trump said the deployment to Poland, a key funnel for European aid to neighbouring Ukraine, was based on his good relationship with Warsaw’s right-wing populist President Karol Nawrocki.
“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 5000 Troops to Poland,” Trump posted.
It is unclear where the 5000 troops that Trump mentioned will come from or how it will change US troop numbers in Europe. The surprise announcement creates further uncertainty about the US posture in Europe, after Trump soured on NATO allies who spoke out against the Iran war or failed to provide what he sees as sufficient help.
Poland is a NATO member and has served as the main hub for Western military aid flowing into Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in 2022.
In 2023, the US established the US Army Garrison Poland, solidifying its military footprint in the country. The US typically has about 10,000 troops stationed in Poland.
The Pentagon referred questions to the White House. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNN.
Nawrocki thanked Trump in a post on X Thursday, calling the US-Poland alliance “a vital pillar of security for every Polish home and for all of Europe”.
“Good alliances are those based on cooperation, mutual respect, and a commitment to our shared security,” Nawrocki said.
Nawrocki was elected in June 2025 and visited the Oval Office for a meeting with Trump in September, where he thanked Trump for his endorsement.
Scheduled rotation cancelled
Last week, Hegseth abruptly cancelled two US military deployments to Europe and ordered the removal of other personnel from the continent, reducing the number of US troops in Europe by roughly 5000.
A memo signed by Hegseth halted the scheduled deployment of 2nd Armoured Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, which was expected to rotate through Poland and other countries including the Baltic states and Romania, according to two defence officials. Some personnel from the brigade were already in Europe and now must redeploy back to the US.
The memo also cancelled the future deployment to Germany of a battalion that specializes in firing long-range rockets and missiles, the defence officials said, and directed that a command in Europe overseeing those capabilities be removed from the continent.
There are roughly 4700 soldiers in the brigade combat team whose deployment to Europe has been cancelled, and over 500 soldiers in the long-range rocket and missile battalion, one of the defence officials said.
The decision by the Pentagon to cancel scheduled troop deployments without consulting Congress prompted criticism by Republican lawmakers, who said Poland was “blindsided”.
Republican Rep. Don Bacon said at a House Armed Services Committee hearing that the decision by Hegseth to cancel the deployments was “reprehensible, it’s an embarrassment to our country what we just did to Poland”.
– CNN