“We need to keep calling, traveling to Washington, and making a strong case to the Americans that a permanent U.S. military presence in Poland is crucial. We must do everything possible to ensure that the necessary infrastructure is built,” said Head of Poland’s National Security Bureau (BBN) Bartosz Grodecki on Saturday. His remarks suggest that the United States is prepared to deploy a permanent contingent of troops to Poland, but that the Polish government must first present a concrete plan for hosting them.
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on the social media platform Truth Social that he had decided to send an “additional” 5,000 troops to Poland. He stated that the decision was made “based on” his relationship with President Karol Nawrocki, whom he noted he had endorsed ahead of the 2025 election.
Asked on RMF FM radio on Saturday when the additional American troops could arrive in Poland, Grodecki stressed that the existing rotational deployment is not under threat.
“I would like it to be exactly as President Trump literally wrote, an additional 5,000 troops. At the very least, if the current 4,000-strong rotational contingent were replaced, we would still gain an extra 1,000 soldiers. This strengthens our security. It is also highly symbolic for us. We need to fight for it. We need to be proactive on this front,”
he said.
Pressed for details on the potential reinforcement, Grodecki explained that the “minimum” scenario would involve deploying an additional 1,000 troops, while the “maximum” scenario would see Poland reinforced by a full 5,000 additional American soldiers.
“That would be the most optimal outcome. I know that the General Staff is in contact with General Grynkewich and General Donahue. We are also using the tools at our disposal to maintain dialogue with the American side,”
he said.
Grodecki added that he had discussed with Deputy Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby the possibility of transforming the rotational U.S. military presence in Poland into a permanent deployment.
“Secretary Colby says: let’s talk. There is an opening. We need to make an offer. The 2020 EDCA agreement will probably need to be renegotiated. That agreement also contains provisions that are important for us, as they impose certain investment commitments regarding military infrastructure,”
he said.
“We need to keep calling, traveling to Washington, and strongly persuading the Americans that a permanent presence is essential, while doing everything necessary to ensure that this infrastructure is built,” he added.
Grodecki emphasized that a permanent U.S. military presence would require the construction of a dedicated military complex.
“I would like to see planning work begin alongside the declarations [from the Polish government]. And let’s be honest, we have very little time. Special legislation will have to be adopted to remove certain legal obstacles and facilitate the construction of this type of infrastructure outside the standard procedures. We have to move quickly; we do not have time,”
he said.
He indicated that a future U.S. military base could be located in western Poland and estimated that building the required infrastructure could take approximately two years. However, he stressed that the most important element is having a concrete plan that can be presented to the Americans.