The Pentagon has canceled plans to temporarily deploy 4,000 US troops to Poland, two US officials said - a surprise decision that again raises questions about President Donald Trump's expected troop reduction in Europe, Reuters reported.
A Pentagon spokesman declined to comment, and a lawmaker said the decision had not yet been reported to Congress. No official announcement has been made.
The decision, first reported by the Army Times, comes just two weeks after the Pentagon said it would withdraw 5,000 troops from NATO member Germany, in part because of a deepening rift between Trump and Europe over the Iran war.
An anonymous US official speaking to Reuters suggested the decision on Poland was part of a short-term solution that would eventually allow for the previously announced troop drawdown in Germany, where 35,000 US troops are stationed. This would mean that troops that were to be temporarily stationed in Poland could instead come from elsewhere.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he had received assurances that Poland's security would not be affected by any decisions on the presence of US troops.
“I have received assurances, and this is also important for me, that these decisions are of a logistical nature and will not directly affect deterrence capabilities and our security,“ Tusk told a news conference today.
The US is reviewing its troop presence in Europe and had been expected to reduce its military presence after Trump said he wanted NATO to take a bigger role in Europe's defense. The Pentagon has yet to detail how it sees the future deployment of troops on the continent.
Trump was also angered that European allies had not joined the US war on Iran, and he clashed with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The chancellor subsequently said last month that the Iranians had humiliated the US in the negotiations.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told reporters that the decision on Poland seemed surprising. "As far as I know, we were not notified of this," she told reporters.
After it was announced that troops from Germany would also be withdrawn, a senior US official said it would return the number of US troops in Europe to roughly pre-2022 levels - before Russia's invasion of Ukraine led to a surge in US military presence on the continent under the orders of then-President Joe Biden.
The latest troop withdrawals also come amid growing pressure from Washington on European countries to increase their defence spending, as well as accusations that their reliance on US forces has led to them neglecting to develop their own armies.
Last month, Reuters exclusively reported that an internal Pentagon email discussed options for punishing NATO allies that Washington said had not supported US action in the war with Iran. Possible measures include temporarily suspending Spain from NATO and reconsidering the US position on Britain's claim to the Falkland Islands.
Unnerved by Trump's past criticism of NATO, Republican and Democratic lawmakers last year supported a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act that would prohibit troop levels in Europe from falling below 76,000. Trump signed the law in December. However, the administration has some leeway. The provision of the law allows the president to reduce troop levels below 76,000 if the president certifies that he has consulted with NATO allies and provides independent assessments of how doing so would impact U.S. security, the alliance, and the deterrent effect against Russian aggression.
A senior NATO military official, commenting on the role of the deployment of allied forces, said: “Rotational forces are not considered in NATO's deterrence and defense plans. The alliance will continue to maintain a strong presence on its eastern flank, in particular with Canadian and German troops there. NATO continues to actively consult with the relevant authorities on this matter.“
At the end of last year, there were about 85,000 U.S. troops in Europe.