US troops to Poland will rise by 5,000, President Donald Trump said Thursday. The move adds fresh uncertainty to Washington’s military posture in Europe.
Trump said the deployment followed his relationship with Polish President Karol Nawrocki. Earlier, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had halted a scheduled combat-team rotation through Poland and other European countries.
Poland, whose capital is Warsaw, sits in Central Europe. It also serves as a key North Atlantic Treaty Organisation hub for Western military aid to Ukraine.
The United States usually keeps about 10,000 troops in Poland, according to the source text. However, Trump earlier ordered 5,000 troops to be pulled from Germany amid tensions with Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Read: US Troops Germany Cut Criticised by Republicans
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte welcomed Trump’s Poland announcement. However, he said the alliance was moving toward a “stronger Europe” that depends less on one ally.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is attending a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Sweden. There, the State Department said, he would press allies on higher defence investment and burden sharing.
