Trump Calls Off Deployment Of 4,000 Troops To Poland, Turns Up Pressure On NATO Allies In Europe

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The Unite States called off plans to temporarily deploy 4,000 troops to Poland amid widening rift between President Donald Trump and Europe over the West Asia war. A part of a broader reconfiguration of the US military presence in Europe, US cancelled the deployment of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division. Two US officials confirmed the development to Reuters, marking a surprise decision.

This follows US President Donald Trump's recent decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from NATO ally Germany, which hosts 35,000 US forces. According to a Pentagon lawmaker, neither a formal announcement has been made about this decision, nor had the Congress been notified. The is the latest example of abrupt personnel mov from the Defense secretary Pete Hegseth. The decision comes at a time troops and equipment had already started to arrive in the country.

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In an interview with the Politico, a US official suggested that the European and American officials spent nearly 24 hours on the phone trying to figure out the situation and said,“We had no idea this was coming." Another US official informed Reuters that the Poland decision was part of a near-term solution to ultimately allow for the previously announced drawdown in Germany. This indicates that the troops that were meant to temporarily deploy to Poland might come from elsewhere.

Over the Poland decision, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, "As far as I know, we weren't notified about it," Reuters reported.

Pentagon's recent decisions suggests that the US has been reviewing its troop presence in Europe and has long been expected to scale it back. This comes in the wake of Trump's demand to secure consensus of NATO members with the Iran war and sought a larger role of the alliance in the defense of Europe. Frustrated with European allies' decision to detach from the US war against Iran, Trump administration was considering punishing certain European nations that did not comply with US demands and refused to support the US by removing American troops from their bases.

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This decision comes as a surprise as Trump administration had had close relations with Poland and the US President even labeled Poland a“model ally” for its high defense spending. Earlier this month, POTUS suggested that he might consider moving some troops to the country from Germany. It is important to note that the Pentagon has not yet detailed how it envisions future troop laydowns across the continent.

Notably, Russia's invasion of Ukraine had triggered a buildup of US troops in Europe by then-President Joe Biden. After US' decision over withdrawal of troops from Germany, a senior US official had claimed that it would bring troop levels in Europe ​back to roughly pre-2022 levels.

The Pentagon in its National Defense Strategy issued in January had said,“As U.S. forces focus on Homeland defense and the Indo-Pacific, our allies and partners elsewhere will take primary responsibility for their own defense with critical but more limited support from American forces."

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The Polish minister of national defense, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, in a social-media post said that the cancellation“does not concern Poland." He further noted that“it relates to the previously announced change in the presence of some US Armed Forces in Europe.”

He added,“The rapidly developing capabilities of the Polish Armed Forces and the presence of US forces in Poland strengthen NATO's eastern flank."

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