“The process of redeploying U.S. military forces and assets in Europe is ongoing, but no decision has been made to reduce U.S. military capabilities in Poland,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said in a post on X. “The decisions being made are in no way directed against our strategic partnership. The Pentagon is currently preparing a new plan for the deployment of its forces across Europe.”
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In practice, the two U.S. announcements will be part of the same drawdown, according to two people familiar with the matter, with the ultimate aim of reducing troop numbers in Germany.
The 4,000-strong 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, will no longer deploy for a nine-month stint to Poland, one of the people said, with the idea that some troops may eventually be replaced by those now stationed in Germany.
The cancellation of the specialized missile unit makes up the remaining 1,000 troops covered by Trump’s original announcement.
“There will be 5,000 troops coming out of Europe,” Grynkewich said, adding: “I’d like to emphasize this decision does not impact the executability of our regional plans.”
Yet the U.S. decision will still take a toll on NATO. While the drawdown affects just 3 percent of American troops stationed in Europe, it “could affect U.S. deployments to the Baltic states as well,” said Jennifer Kavanagh, director of military analysis at the Defense Priorities think tank, since the U.S. contingent in Poland feeds troops to the region.