The Pentagon has halted the deployment of thousands of troops to Poland and Germany as part of a broader reduction of American forces in Europe, according to US officials. The move comes as President Donald Trump has clashed with allies over the Iran war and called for changes in NATO burden-sharing.
Four thousand troops from the Army's 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, based in Fort Hood, Texas, were no longer en route to Poland this week. Additionally, a battalion trained in firing long-range rockets and missiles had its deployment to Germany cancelled. The decisions followed a memo from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth directing the Joint Chiefs of Staff to move a brigade combat team out of Europe.
Three US officials said the changes were part of an effort to comply with a presidential order issued in early May to reduce the number of troops in Europe by about 5,000. The Trump administration had previously said it was cutting forces only in Germany, leading to confusion and criticism from Warsaw and Washington.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he received assurances that the decision was logistical and did not directly affect Poland's security. However, Republican Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska said Polish officials were 'blindsided'. The reductions drew bipartisan criticism, with lawmakers arguing the move sends the wrong signal to allies and to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and General Christopher LaNeve told Congress that discussions about the halted deployment occurred over the past two weeks, with the final decision made in the past few days. A US official in Europe said a meeting was called with 20 minutes' notice to discuss the cancellation, and some troops were told not to travel to the airport shortly before departure. Most of the unit's equipment had already arrived in Europe and was sitting in ports.
