Pentagon ‘greenlit’ permanent presence of US troops in Poland, official says

The Pentagon “greenlit” the permanent presence of U.S. troops in Poland, with the final decision slated to be made by the White House in early December. As the U.S. military reviews its force posture in Europe, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth indicated to Polish officials that “everything is going in a good direction” with regard to the decision on a permanent U.S. military base in the European country, according to a recent statement released by Poland’s Ministry of National Defense following a meeting between Hegseth and Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz at the Pentagon. “The permanent presence of US troops in Poland is our absolute priority and we will not abandon this matter,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said in the release. “We will argue for this to the very end. This green light was very visible on the side of the Pentagon, in what Secretary Hegseth and his associates were saying.” Although the final decision lies in the White House next month, Kosiniak-Kamysz said the decision is proceeding in the “best direction possible,” highlighting the teams that facilitated discussions and showcased possible locations. President Donald Trump recently told reporters last month that the U.S. was considering the base in Poland, remarking that it was a possibility. The Pentagon’s statement on the Tuesday talks with Polish officials did not mention a base, but it did include that the countries intend to sign an agreement that boosts military cooperations between the two countries. It also went on to say that Kosiniak-Kamysz thanked Hegseth and the department for working to expand the presence of U.S. troops in Poland, praising the discussion on strengthening the permanent U.S. military presence in the European country. “I would like to thank you for your commitment to the process of implementing President Donald [J.] Trump’s declaration on the deployment of [an] additional 5,000 soldiers to the territory of the Republic of Poland,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said during the meeting, the release reads. Recently, Pentagon officials have traveled to Poland to look for potential sites to house a new base, such as Bydgoszcz, Poznań, Szczecin and Wrocław, which are all west of the Vistula River. With a potential presence of around 5,000 service members, Poland asserts that an American base would require infrastructure that could accommodate around 25,000 people, needing construction of housing, schools and other buildings. “We are ready,” Kosiniak-Kamysz told Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita this week. “We have the locations prepared, we are ready to build the infrastructure, and we are ready to secure the funds.” Polish officials have openly campaigned for a permanent American base in their country for years, dating back to when former President George W. Bush was in office from 2001 to 2009, arguing it would boost their role in NATO’s eastern flank and improve their security, which has grown especially prevalent as the war in Ukraine carries on and neighbors Poland. In May, Pentagon officials abruptly cancelled a Poland deployment of over 4,000 soldiers, leaving Polish officials worried even as they continue to invest around $15,000 per year for the deployment of each U.S. soldier. Poland currently hosts around 10,000 U.S. soldiers, with the majority deployed as part of a rotational presence.