Trump touts plan for new Poland base as Pentagon weighs Europe troop cuts

STUTTGART, Germany — President Donald Trump said the United States is closing in on plans for a new Army base in Poland, signaling that NATO’s eastern flank could get a more permanent American foothold even as the Pentagon reportedly considers withdrawing tens of thousands of troops in Europe.

“Major progress is being made toward establishing a U.S. Army base in Poland,” Trump said Thursday in a social media post that credited Polish President Karol Nawrocki with pushing the initiative forward.

“If this happens, the location will be announced very soon,” Trump said. “This will be a historic step for our Great U.S./Polish Alliance.”

Trump’s announcement suggests Poland remains a priority for U.S. military planning despite a broader drawdown taking shape across Europe.

Nawrocki, a conservative political ally of Trump, said Thursday that Warsaw is prepared to accommodate the proposed installation.

Poland is “ready to continue our efforts to strengthen our defense cooperation,” Nawrocki said in response to Trump’s announcement, adding that the Polish government “will do its utmost to provide the best possible location for the US Army base.”

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Willie Word and Sgt. Steven Rodriguez check a target for accuracy at Bemowo Piskie Training Area, Poland, Sept. 8, 2026. President Donald Trump said the U.S. is nearing an agreement to establish a new, permanent Army base in Poland. (Ronald D. Bell/U.S. Army)

Warsaw has been pressing for more American forces for months.

In recent weeks, U.S. defense officials visited Poland to scout potential new base locations. The U.S. military already has a small permanent garrison in the city of Poznan and other more austere locations used by rotational forces.

But if the goal is to establish a base capable of permanently hosting several thousand more troops accompanied by family members, a new location complete with amenities such as schools for military children would be required.

Poland has said it is prepared to spend around $4 billion to make something like that happen.

The shakeup to the U.S. force posture in Europe also involves potentially deep cuts to the American troop presence elsewhere in Europe, such as Germany, Spain and Italy.

The Pentagon is currently considering options that could remove roughly 25,000 U.S. troops from Europe, according to reports by NBC News and Reuters on Thursday.

A more extensive option could involve about 40,000 personnel, NBC reported.

Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, head of U.S. European Command, is expected to soon present Pentagon leadership with options for adjusting base locations and the current force level of roughly 80,000 troops.

The plans are connected to a force posture review ordered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in June.

An announcement on the way forward is expected within the next couple of months.

A factor that is expected to weigh heavily in the Pentagon review is whether countries that host American forces align with Pentagon priorities when it comes to base access and overflight rights during a crisis.

In June, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put allies on notice over the issue.

When the U.S. sought to use bases in Europe for military flights and warship deployments during its war against Iran, “too many of our allies said no,” Hegseth said during a NATO meeting in Brussels at the time.

Others “tried to drown us in arcane legal debates or criticized us publicly for doing what they aren’t prepared or able to do themselves,” Hegseth added. “It was shameful.”

Those allies “put America’s sons and daughters at risk” by denying them predictable base access and overflight rights, which “never should have been in question at all,” he said.

Spain, which hosts a U.S. Navy base and multiple destroyers, has repeatedly been singled out by the Trump administration for its refusal to let its territory serve as a launching pad for operations against Iran. Italy also has been criticized.

The Pentagon has already made some changes to the force design in Europe. In April, it announced plans to remove 5,000 personnel from Germany.

At that time, an armored brigade’s deployment to Poland also was halted, but Polish officials have said that was a temporary move and that more forces would eventually be coming to the country.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon also has reduced the number of American aircraft, ships and other capabilities earmarked for NATO contingency plans.

Such moves coincide with Pentagon demands that allies in Europe take on the bulk of the responsibility when it comes to the conventional defense of the Continent.

Some military analysts have questioned whether Europe, despite ramping up defense spending in recent years, will be prepared to carry the load as fast as Washington wishes. 

An International Institute for Strategic Studies assessment released this week said European land forces still lack sufficient personnel, artillery, air defenses, ammunition and logistics capabilities.

“European land forces are not yet the conventional backbone NATO needs,” the institute said, warning of a potential “capability-time mismatch” as Washington pushes allies to assume greater responsibility before their militaries have fully rearmed.