WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� The Pentagon is drawing down thousands of troops in Europe by canceling deployments to Poland and Germany as opposed to yanking forces already stationed there, U.S. officials say, as President Donald Trump has and .
Several U.S. officials confirmed that 4,000 troops from the Army’s 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division were no longer en route to Poland this week. The Trump administration had previously said it was , and the decision spurred questions and criticism in both Warsaw and Washington.
Two officials told The Associated Press the Poland deployment was canceled after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo directing the Joint Chiefs of Staff to move a brigade combat team out of Europe. One of them said the choice of which unit was left to military leaders.
Besides the Army combat team based in Fort Hood, Texas, the memo also led to the cancellation of an upcoming deployment to Germany of a battalion trained in firing long-range rockets and missiles, according to the two officials, who like the others spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations.
Three U.S. officials said the canceled deployments were part of an effort to comply with a presidential order issued at the beginning of May to by about 5,000. The reasoning does not appear to have been well communicated because others based in Europe said they did not know if the halted deployment to Poland was part of the previously announced reduction in troops.
Trump and the Pentagon have said in recent weeks that they were drawing down at least 5,000 troops in Germany after said the U.S. was being 鈥渉umiliated鈥� by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a .
The drawdown reflects a between the administration and traditional European allies, with the U.S. leader repeatedly criticizing fellow NATO members for a lack of support for the Iran conflict.
Polish officials on Friday insisted that the canceled U.S. deployment to Poland, which was reported earlier by The Military Times and other outlets, was not targeted directly at their country but was a consequence of Trump鈥檚 decision to reduce the number of troops in Germany.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he 鈥渞eceived assurances鈥� that the decision was of a logistical nature and said it does not directly impact deterrence capabilities and Poland鈥檚 security.
Military says the decision to cancel a unit heading to Poland was made recently
Joel Valdez, a Pentagon spokesman, said 鈥渢he decision to withdraw troops follows a comprehensive, multilayered process鈥� and he argued that it was 鈥渘ot an unexpected, last-minute decision.鈥�
Speaking to Congress in a hearing Friday, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the Army鈥檚 chief of staff, said discussions around the halted deployment to Poland occurred over the past two weeks but that the decision itself was made in the past couple days.
Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska said he spoke with Polish officials Thursday and they were 鈥渂lindsided.鈥�
The move also left some U.S. military personnel in Europe in the dark about how the Trump administration was reducing forces. A U.S. official based in Europe said a meeting was called with 20 minutes’ notice on Monday to discuss the cancellation of the deployment to Poland.
At that time, troops had already been sent to Poland and some still in the U.S. were told shortly before departure not to travel to the airport, that official said. Another official said most of the Army unit鈥檚 equipment had already made it to Europe and was sitting in ports.
The change to troop deployment to Poland draws bipartisan criticism
Democratic and Republican lawmakers criticized the reductions as sending the wrong signal both to allies and Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose forces this week have launched on the Ukrainian capital in the .
At the House Armed Services Committee hearing Friday, LaNeve said he worked with U.S. Gen. , commander in Europe of both American and NATO forces, after Grynkewich received the instructions for the force reduction.
鈥淚鈥檝e worked with him in close consultation of what that force unit would be, and it made the most sense for that brigade to not do its deployment in theater,鈥� LaNeve said.
Bacon called the decision 鈥渞eprehensible鈥� and said it was 鈥渁n embarrassment to our country what we just did to Poland.鈥�
Republican Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama, who chairs the committee, said the military is required to consult with lawmakers and that did not happen.
鈥淪o we don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 going on here,鈥� Rogers said. “But I can just tell you we鈥檙e not happy with what鈥檚 being talked about.鈥�
A State Department official said Friday at a security conference in Tallinn, Estonia, that the U.S. reductions in Europe were 鈥渞ight there in black and white鈥� but also noted that 鈥渢he U.S. isn鈥檛 going anywhere.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檒l continue to work with the Pentagon and work with our partners to make sure we get the right fit and right mix of what鈥檚 happening here on the ground,鈥� said Thomas G. DiNanno, U.S. undersecretary of state for arms control and international security.
NATO says the change in Poland won’t affect defense
With the halted deployments, the U.S. military presence in Europe will now be at pre-2022 levels, before Russia commenced its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, one U.S. official said.
Europe has been bracing for a reduction since Trump returned to the White House, with the administration warning that Europe would have to , including Ukraine’s, in the future.
A NATO official said the U.S. decision to cancel its rotational deployment to Poland would not impact NATO’s deterrence and defense plans. Canada and Germany have increased their presence on the alliance’s eastern flank, which contributes to NATO’s overall strength, the official said, insisting on anonymity in line with NATO regulations.
Ben Hodges, former commanding general of U.S. Army Europe, said the move 鈥渞einforces the perception that the United States just does things without consultation with allies,鈥� which ultimately 鈥渄amages cohesion inside the alliance.鈥� The decision would in the long run harm the U.S. defense industry as it reduces the trust of partners, he said.
Around 10,000 U.S. troops are typically stationed in Poland, the majority of them present in the country on a rotational basis. Only about 300 troops are permanently stationed in the country, according to the U.S. Congressional Research Service.
Polish officials had hoped they would be spared from any cuts as Poland spends the most in NATO on defense as a proportion of its economy 鈥� around 4.7% in 2025. Hegseth has called it a 鈥渕odel ally鈥� in NATO for spending so much on defense.
When Poland鈥檚 conservative president, Karol Nawrocki, in September, Trump said he didn’t intend to pull U.S. troops out of Poland. 鈥淲e鈥檒l put more there if they want,鈥� Trump said at the time.
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Burrows reported from Tallinn, Estonia, and Ciobanu from Warsaw, Poland.
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