Washington, May 16: The Pentagon has canceled plans to temporarily deploy over 4,000 U.S. troops stationed in the United States to Poland. This information was reported by several American media outlets citing U.S. officials.
According to the news agency Xinhua, U.S. Army Acting Chief of Staff Christopher LaNeve stated during a congressional hearing on Friday that the commander of U.S. European Command received instructions to reduce military forces.
LaNeve mentioned, “I have been working closely with them to determine which military unit would be involved, and it was decided that it would be most appropriate not to deploy that brigade to the theater.” He was referring to the Second Armored Brigade Combat Team.
The general noted that some parts of the unit had already been sent abroad, and military equipment was en route. The order to cancel the deployment came from the office of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. However, no formal announcement has been made regarding this decision.
Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, stated that Congress had not been informed about this development. She told reporters, “As far as I know, we were not notified about this.”
Two weeks ago, the Pentagon announced that approximately 5,000 U.S. troops would be withdrawn from Germany within the next six to twelve months.
Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned to Italian media that he was still “considering” the withdrawal of troops from military bases in Italy. He also remarked, “Italy was not with us when we needed them.” This information was reported by local media. Trump made these comments during a phone interview.
In response to Trump’s remarks about troop transfers, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto expressed that he could not understand the “logic” behind it. He noted that Italy is preparing a mission to remove mines in the Strait of Hormuz and ensure maritime security in collaboration with other countries.
On May 1, the Italian news agency ANSA reported that Trump had indicated he might reduce the U.S. military presence in Spain and Italy. He criticized European allies for not assisting in the U.S.-Israel conflict against Iran.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, by the end of 2025, approximately 12,700 active U.S. troops will be permanently stationed in Italy, making it the second-largest U.S. military presence in Europe after Germany.
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