President Donald Trump announced that an additional 5,000 troops will be sent to Poland after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth cancelled a planned U.S. troop deployment.
Trump made his announcement on Truth Social after the election of the new president of Poland, Karol Nawrocki. The announcement comes after a Department of War press release on Tuesday stated the department would reduce the number of U.S. troops in Europe, which sparked concerns from lawmakers and Polish officials, according to the Wall Street Journal.
“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. Thank you for your attention to this matter,” Trump wrote in the Truth Social post.
“I stand and will continue to stand guard over the Polish-American alliance–a vital pillar of security for every Polish home and for all of Europe,” Nawrocki said in a post on X. “Good alliances are those based on cooperation, mutual respect, and a commitment to our shared security.”
I stand and will continue to stand guard over the Polish-American 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.I thank U.S. President…
— Karol Nawrocki (@NawrockiKn) May 21, 2026
The White House, the Pentagon, U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and the Polish Embassy in Washington did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
‘Reduction Of Troops In Germany’
Trump’s announcement does not fully clarify whether the previous Poland deployment has been restored. Trump did not say which U.S. units would be sent, or whether the troops would come from the U.S. or elsewhere in Europe.
This could coincide with the possibility of troop movements out of Germany that Trump announced in a Truth Social post.
“The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time,” Trump said in the Truth Social post on April 29.
The press release on Tuesday stated that the reduction of troops from Europe was the beginning of a new U.S. foreign policy in Europe designed to put America first, and a push to make European nations in NATO more self-reliant.
The previous cut to U.S. troop deployments in Poland involved a full brigade combat team (BCT), reducing the number of BCTs in Europe from four to three. Each BCT contains over 4,000 soldiers, artillery and numerous heavy weapons, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Polish officials were not consulted about the rotation before it was announced, according to the Journal. In regard to Hegseth’s move to rotate the troops, the Pentagon said Trump and Hegseth were united in the decision.
“President Trump and Secretary Hegseth communicate constantly and are in lockstep regarding U.S. troop movements in Europe,” the Journal reported, citing Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell.
The previous reduction in troops was “designed to advance President Trump’s America First agenda in Europe and other theaters, including by incentivizing and enabling our NATO allies to take primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense,” according to the Department of War press release.
About 10,000 troops are currently stationed in Poland, according to the Journal.
“We have offered to the Pentagon to host American soldiers on a permanent basis, and we understand what it means,” the Journal reported, citing Poland’s deputy defense minister, Pawel Zalewski. “It means that we have to build a small city for this unit, and we are ready for that. We will cover the cost.”
There is some U.S. legislation that can prevent U.S. troop numbers from falling below a certain level in Europe.
The fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act restricts funding for reducing U.S. troop levels in EUCOM below 76,000 for more than 45 days. The restriction can be lifted after the Secretary of War and the EUCOM commander submit the required certifications and assessments to Congress, and 60 days pass.
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