Pentagon paused deployment. Trump now says 5,000 more troops going to Poland

US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that Washington would send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, a move that comes just days after the Pentagon delayed a separate troop deployment to the NATO ally.

Trump made the announcement on his social media platform Truth Social, linking the decision to his relationship with newly elected Polish President Karol Nawrocki.

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“Based on the successful Election of the now President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, who I was proud to Endorse, and our relationship with him, I am pleased to announce that the United States will be sending an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland,” Trump wrote.

The announcement has added to the uncertainty surrounding the US military posture in Europe after the Pentagon earlier this week confirmed a reduction in the number of Brigade Combat Teams stationed on the continent.

Pentagon had recently delayed troop movement to Poland

The development comes barely a week after the Pentagon quietly halted a planned deployment of more than 4,000 US troops to Poland, a decision that reportedly surprised both Polish officials and NATO representatives.

According to Politico, a Polish official and a NATO representative said the US did not discuss the move beforehand, leaving allies caught off guard.

On Tuesday, the Pentagon confirmed that the number of Brigade Combat Teams assigned to Europe had been reduced from four to three, bringing troop levels back to what they were in 2021.

In a statement released by Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, the Department of Defense described the decision as part of “a comprehensive, multilayered process focused on US force posture in Europe.”

The statement added that the move had resulted in “a temporary delay of the deployment of US forces to Poland,” while calling Poland “a model US ally”.

Questions remain over Europe troop reshuffle

According to US media reports, around 80,000 American troops are currently stationed across Europe, including nearly 10,000 in Poland.

The affected unit in the earlier deployment decision was identified as the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, which had been scheduled for a routine nine-month NATO rotational deployment to Poland and other eastern flank locations.

At a congressional hearing last week, acting US Army chief Christopher LaNeve said the order to halt the deployment came from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office.

Some elements of the brigade had already departed the US, and military equipment was reportedly in transit when the deployment was paused.

The Pentagon has also separately announced plans to withdraw roughly 5,000 US troops from Germany over the next six to 12 months, raising fresh questions over Washington’s long-term military strategy in Europe.