The U.S. and Polish flags fly at the airfield in Powidz, Poland, March 3, 2025. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with his Polish counterpart Tuesday at the Pentagon and called for stronger U.S.-Polish ties. (Charlie Duke/U.S. Army)
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is calling for closer U.S. ties with Poland, praising its military investment and leadership on NATO’s eastern flank amid a Pentagon review that could reshape how American troops are deployed across Europe.
Poland is “leading the way” on military spending, Hegseth said Tuesday during a meeting with Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz at the Pentagon, citing the country’s push to build Europe’s largest land army.
The discussions also come ahead of a NATO defense ministers meeting next week followed by a June summit of leaders in The Hague, where defense spending will be at the top of the agenda.
“We don’t have to encourage Poland,” Hegseth said in reference to Warsaw’s commitment to spending 5% of its gross domestic product on defense.
The two countries share a common approach to military matters and defense spending, Hegseth added.
Kosiniak-Kamysz said Poland supports President Donald Trump’s push to get allies to agree on a plan to increase NATO’s defense spending benchmark from 2% of GDP to 5%.
“I’m also certain that it was necessary to send Europe a strong message, a strong signal for burden sharing within NATO, recognizing that Europe must take greater responsibility for its own defense,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
During the NATO summit, which Trump will attend, allies also are anticipating more information about the future of the American military mission in Europe.
When Hegseth took the Pentagon reins in January, he launched a force posture review to assess U.S. troop levels overseas.
The review aligns with Trump administration calls for Europe to take over most defense responsibilities in Europe.
That has raised questions about the future of the roughly 80,000 U.S. troops currently stationed in Europe, with some allies bracing for possible reductions.
Hegseth hasn’t indicated which countries are most likely to be targeted for troop cuts. During Trump’s first term, Germany was singled out for a 12,000-troop reduction, but those plans never came to fruition.
Trump has often been at odds with Germany on defense issues over the years given Berlin’s long track record of underinvesting in defense.
Friedrich Merz, the new German chancellor, has pledged to spend significantly more on defense. And during a NATO meeting earlier this month, German officials said they’re on board with Trump’s call for upping military expenditures to 5% of GDP.
Poland, in contrast, has been held in high regard by the current White House. About 8,000 U.S. troops are stationed in the country, most on a rotational basis.
In February, Hegseth visited Poland during his first trip to Europe as defense secretary, calling it a deliberate choice for the administration’s initial bilateral meeting.
On Tuesday, Hegseth told Kosiniak-Kamysz that Poland’s approach aligns with Trump’s.
“You apply combat-credible forces and a willingness to defend your own homeland and a recognition of defense of your borders,” he said.
