US Reaffirms Commitment to Polish Security Amid Troop Rotation Concerns

(MENAFN) Poland's defense minister said Tuesday that Washington has reaffirmed its commitment to Polish security following a phone call with his American counterpart, offering reassurance after reports that the Pentagon had abruptly halted a planned troop rotation to the country.

Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made clear during the call that American engagement in Poland's defense remained unchanged and that Warsaw "can count on the United States." Kosiniak-Kamysz added that while Washington is currently conducting a broader review of its force posture across Europe, no decision has been made to draw down U.S. military capabilities stationed on Polish soil.

Following the conversation, Kosiniak-Kamysz took to U.S. social media platform X to say the ongoing repositioning process "is not directed against our strategic partnership," adding that both sides had committed to continuing efforts to strengthen Poland's security and define a long-term framework for American military presence in the country.

The diplomatic reassurances come on the heels of U.S. media reports that the Pentagon had scrapped a planned rotational deployment of approximately 4,000 soldiers from the U.S. Army's 1st Cavalry Division to Poland — a deployment that had already entered advanced preparation stages before being suspended.

The move stoked alarm in Warsaw, where the American military presence has become a cornerstone of national defense policy since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk had previously stated he received assurances that the decision was logistical in nature rather than a strategic shift, insisting that deterrence remained fully intact. Tusk has also consistently argued that preserving transatlantic unity is paramount, even as disagreements over NATO burden-sharing persist within the alliance.

Kosiniak-Kamysz echoed that assessment Tuesday, framing current Pentagon planning as part of a wider restructuring of U.S. deployments across Europe rather than a signal directed specifically at Poland.

That interpretation aligns closely with remarks from NATO's senior military leadership. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, NATO's top operational commander in Europe, said this week that any reduction in U.S. troop levels would not undermine alliance defense plans, pointing to European allies and Canada progressively taking on greater responsibility for conventional defense while retaining U.S. backing. The transition, he indicated, would unfold gradually over several years rather than through sudden withdrawals.

Poland has rapidly emerged as one of NATO's most heavily militarized members since 2022 and now ranks among the alliance's top defense spenders as a proportion of GDP. Warsaw has poured resources into U.S. military cooperation through major equipment purchases, expanded logistics infrastructure, and permanent facilities designed to host allied forces.

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