Trump floats setting up Army base in Poland
The potential move comes after the Pentagon sought to pull troops from the country earlier this year.
President Donald Trump proposed the establishment of a U.S. Army base in Poland on Thursday, marking a notable change from his earlier stance of withdrawing troops from the country. The Polish government initially proposed "Fort Trump" to strengthen bilateral relations and deter Russia, but the idea faded as Trump criticized NATO and European defense spending.
The Pentagon temporarily halted a deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland in May due to a dispute between Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the Iran war, though it later reversed its decision. Trump credited Polish President Karol Nawrocki for progress toward the base's establishment. The Pentagon is currently assessing U.S. troop deployments abroad.
Poland already hosts about 10,000 U.S. troops, with two permanent military installations designed for smaller deployments. The U.S. recently provided Poland with $4 billion in military aid. Polish Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Bejda announced that a U.S. delegation, including Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby, visited Poland to identify potential base locations.
Only six European nations currently host U.S. military bases: Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, Turkey, and Belgium.
Written by urgent.news from Politico EU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
