(AFP) – The United States has canceled the planned deployment of 4,000 soldiers to Poland, US officials said Friday, as Washington reorganizes its forces in Europe after announcing it would withdraw thousands of troops from Germany. The head of US European Command “received the instructions on the force reduction,” General Christopher LaNeve, the acting chief of staff of the US Army, said during a congressional hearing when asked about the canceled deployment.
“I’ve worked with him in close consultation on what that force unit would be, and it… made the most sense for that brigade to not do its deployment in theater,” LaNeve said, referring to the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team. Some elements of the unit had already been sent overseas and its equipment was in transit, according to the general, who said the order to cancel the deployment came from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s office. Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll, testifying alongside LaNeve, said the deployment was scrapped “a couple days ago.”
Republican Representative Don Bacon said Poland had not been informed in advance. “They called me yesterday. They did not know, they were blindsided,” Bacon said during the hearing, describing the canceled deployment as “reprehensible” and “an embarrassment to our country.” Representative Marilyn Strickland, a Democrat, also criticized the move, saying that “when we take that many troops away, it says that we are not reliable ally.”
At the beginning of this month, the Pentagon announced that Washington would pull 5,000 troops from Germany, with spokesman Sean Parnell saying the withdrawal was expected “to be completed over the next six to twelve months.”
That announcement came during a heated dispute between Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the US-Israeli war against Iran, and the US president subsequently said the troop reduction would be “a lot further than 5,000,” without providing details. Poland’s defense minister, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, suggested Friday that the cancelation of the deployment to his country could be related to the removal of troops from Germany.
“If a brigade other than the one originally planned is sent to Poland — maybe the one from Germany — and 5,000 soldiers leave Germany for Poland… there is no change to the security guarantees,” Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters. Trump has threatened to slash US troop numbers in Germany and other European allies during both his White House terms, saying he wants Europe to take on greater responsibility for its defense rather than depending on Washington.
He now appears determined to punish allies who have failed to back the Middle East war or contribute to a peacekeeping force in the crucial Strait of Hormuz waterway, which Tehran’s forces have effectively closed. A NATO official told AFP on Friday that “we know that the US is working to adjust its posture in Europe.”
“A focus on rotational forces would not impact NATO’s deterrence and defense plans. And we’re already seeing increasing presence on the eastern flank from Canada and Germany — all of which contributes to a stronger NATO overall,” the official added.
burs-wd/ksb – W.G. DUNLOP
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