The Pentagon is canceling planned deployments of U.S. troops to Poland and Germany while drawing down forces in Europe, a move that U.S. officials said is tied to a presidential order issued in early May to reduce troop levels by about 5,000. The cancellations include troops that had been on course to Poland this week, according to U.S. officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the details involve sensitive planning.
Multiple U.S. officials said 4,000 troops from the Army’s 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division were no longer en route to Poland. The halted movement, which U.S. officials described as a cancellation rather than a forced diversion of troops already inside Europe, added to concerns raised in Warsaw and in Washington after the Trump administration previously said the drawdown would focus on Germany.
Two officials told AP that the Poland deployment was canceled after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo directing the Joint Chiefs of Staff to move a brigade combat team out of Europe. One of those officials said the decision about which unit would be left behind to carry out the reduction was made by military leaders, rather than the administration identifying a specific formation ahead of time.
The same memo also drove another cancellation, according to two officials. They said a battalion trained in firing long-range rockets and missiles had been scheduled for deployment to Germany, but the upcoming movement was canceled as part of the broader effort.
U.S. officials said the canceled deployments were aimed at complying with the presidential order issued at the beginning of May. They said the rationale did not appear to have been well communicated, noting that some officials based in Europe did not know whether the halted Poland deployment was part of the previously announced plan to reduce troops in Germany. In Congress, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the Army’s chief of staff, said discussions about the Poland deployment had occurred over the prior two weeks, while the decision itself was made in the past couple of days.
Pentagon spokesman Joel Valdez said in response that the decision was part of a process rather than a last-minute change. Valdez said the Pentagon “the decision to withdraw troops follows a comprehensive, multilayered process,” and he argued it was “not an unexpected, last-minute decision.” A U.S. official based in Europe, however, said a meeting about the Poland cancellation was called with 20 minutes’ notice on Monday, and another official said troops had already been sent to Poland and that some soldiers were told shortly before departure not to travel to the airport.
Lawmakers criticized both the reduction and the timing. At a hearing, Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska said he spoke with Polish officials Thursday and that they were “blindsided.” Republican Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama, who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, said the military is required to consult with lawmakers and that did not happen, adding, “So we don’t know what’s going on here.” He said the committee was “not happy with what’s being talked about.”
Gen. LaNeve said he worked with U.S. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, commander in Europe of American and NATO forces, after receiving instructions for the force reduction. LaNeve told the committee that it “made the most sense for that brigade to not do its deployment in theater.” Bacon called the decision “reprehensible” and said it was “an embarrassment” to the United States for what he said it did to Poland.
Polish officials said they were not facing a direct hit to their defense posture. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he “received assurances” the decision was logistical and that it does not directly impact deterrence capabilities and Poland’s security. Polish officials also insisted the Poland cancellation was not targeted at their country but was a consequence of the Trump administration’s decision to reduce troops in Germany.
At a security conference in Tallinn, Estonia, a State Department official said the reductions were documented in U.S. materials but reiterated that the U.S. would remain engaged in the region. Thomas G. DiNanno, the U.S. undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, said, “We’ll continue to work with the Pentagon and work with our partners to make sure we get the right fit and right mix of what’s happening here on the ground.”
NATO officials and former U.S. commanders argued that alliance posture would be maintained, but others said the episode risked damaging trust. A NATO official told AP on condition of anonymity that the U.S. decision to cancel its rotational deployment to Poland would not affect deterrence and defense plans, saying Canada and Germany have increased their presence on the alliance’s eastern flank. Ben Hodges, a former commanding general of U.S. Army Europe, said the move “reinforces the perception that the United States just does things without consultation with allies,” adding that it “damages cohesion inside the alliance.”
The drawdown’s broader diplomatic context, U.S. officials said, reflects strain between the Trump administration and traditional European allies as the administration has repeatedly criticized NATO members for what it says is insufficient support related to the Iran conflict. AP reported that U.S. officials said the overall U.S. military presence in Europe would fall to levels that match those before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.