Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, General Wiesław Kukuła, met in Vilnius with General Alexus Grynkewich, Commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Europe (EUCOM). According to the Polish General Staff, the talks covered, among other issues, the possibility of increasing the presence of American troops on Polish territory. Polish President Karol Nawrocki also addressed the matter earlier yesterday in Bucharest.
The Polish General Staff announced the meeting between Generals Kukuła and Grynkewich on Thursday via X during the Conference of Northern European Chiefs of Defence in Vilnius. According to the statement, the generals discussed Poland’s role in NATO’s emerging security architecture, as well as the key assumptions behind the “NATO 3.0” project.
“The discussions also covered U.S. support for Poland, including the possibility of increasing the presence of American troops on the territory of our country to strengthen security on the Alliance’s eastern flank,”
the General Staff stated.
U.S. troops to be withdrawn from Germany
According to Pentagon information, approximately 5,000 American troops are expected to be withdrawn from Germany over the next 6-12 months. The announcement came after an exchange between U.S. President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz regarding the war with Iran. President Trump did not rule out relocating to Poland some of the American troops slated for withdrawal from Germany.
On Tuesday morning, Deputy Minister of National Defence Paweł Zalewski stated that Poland’s intention is to increase U.S. military capabilities in the country. Asked whether Poland would receive U.S. troops relocated from Germany, he replied that the decision rests with the American side. He added that several possible deployment locations have already been proposed.
President Karol Nawrocki also spoke today in Bucharest about the possibility of expanding the U.S. military presence in Poland. He emphasized that the initiative is supported by the leaders of NATO’s eastern flank states.
Currently, American troops are stationed in Poland under both permanent and rotational deployments, amounting to approximately 10,000 personnel in total. The rotational formula applies to the majority of U.S. forces stationed in the country.
The permanently stationed U.S. forces include personnel operating the missile defense base in Redzikowo in the Pomeranian region, the forward headquarters of the U.S. Army’s V Corps in Poznań, the garrison there responsible, among other tasks, for logistics and infrastructure, as well as the base in Powidz. The Powidz facility stores and maintains equipment for a U.S. armored brigade in a state of readiness, including several thousand pieces of equipment such as tanks, artillery systems, infantry fighting vehicles, and support vehicles, ready to be manned by troops deployed to Poland in the event of a crisis.
Under the rotational deployment framework, the U.S. presence primarily consists of an American armored brigade combat team, with units stationed in western Poland, including Żagań, Świętoszów, Bolesławiec, and Skwierzyna, as well as in Toruń.