A group of US troops disembark from a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft during military exercises in Zaragoza, Spain, in May 2023. Trump has suggested that new troops could be deployed to Poland—and raged at Spain for failing to meet NATO-wide defense spending targets. (US Army/Staff Sgt. John Todd) DEFENDER 23 is a U.S. Army Europe and Africa led exercise focused on the strategic deployment of continental United States-based forces, employment of Army Prepositioned Stocks, and interoperability with Allies and partners. Taking place from 22 April to 23 June, DEFENDER 23 demonstrates USAREUR-AF’s ability to aggregate U.S.-based combat power quickly in Eastern Europe, increase lethality of the NATO Alliance through long-distance fires, build unit readiness in a complex joint, multi-national environment, and leverage host nation capabilities to increase USAREUR-AF’s operational reach. DEFENDER 23 includes more than 7,000 U.S. and 17,000 multi-national service members from more than 20 nations who will participate including, but not limited to: Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, United Kingdom and the United States. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. John Todd)
US Army Troop Rotations to Poland Are Back On—for Now
Poland has managed to stay on good terms with President Donald Trump, owing primarily to its large defense spending commitments.
In May, the United States Department of Defense (DoD) abruptly canceled a planned deployment of approximately 4,000 soldiers from the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, to Poland. The announcement, which reportedly “caught many military officials off guard,” was sudden to say the least—coming right after a “casing of the colors” ceremony at Fort Hood, Texas, commemorating the unit’s expected departure from the base. The deployment was expected to last nine months, and military equipment was already reportedly in transit from the Lone Star State to Europe.
Following pushback from lawmakers, including some key Republicans, President Donald Trump responded several days later by recommitting a different 5,000 troops to another rotation in Poland. The details have yet to materialize, but both the US and Poland have confirmed that some US Army soldiers can expect to be rotated to the NATO member state later this year. It remains unclear whether that will include a large-scale deployment like the one previously canceled, but officials within the Polish government expect the issue to be resolved.
“The rotation of American troops, which was suspended several weeks ago, is returning and will continue, and in the coming weeks, the rotation of American troops in Poland will be completed,” Polish Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said during an event in Bydgoszcz in northern Poland this week.
US Troops in Poland Might Leave Before They Return
There are currently around 10,000 US troops stationed in Poland, and slightly fewer than 70,000 in total all across Europe.
The US presence on NATO’s eastern flank—historically small compared to its large-scale presence in Germany—increased significantly following Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. At its peak, the US military had five brigades and two division headquarters in Poland, but the US footprint there dropped after President Donald Trump returned to the White House in early 2025.
The Trump administration had announced earlier this year that it would draw down approximately 5,000 troops from Europe as the president was displeased that NATO didn’t support Operation Epic Fury, the military operation that began the war with Iran on February 28.
Last month, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that there would be a review of US military troop deployments across Europe. That review is expected to last several months.
Trump Is Meeting with NATO Officials in Turkey
Exactly when the rotations to Poland or other NATO members could resume is still unclear, and could be complicated by Trump’s meeting with other leaders at this week’s alliance summit in Ankara, Turkey.
At Wednesday’s meetings, the US leader continued to voice frustration that NATO didn’t provide support in the Middle East. He also reiterated his interest in owning Greenland, a proposal roundly rejected by all other NATO members.
Trump further singled out Spain, calling it a “terrible partner in NATO” for failing to meet the alliance’s 5 percent benchmark for defense spending. In June 2025, Spain requested and received an exemption from the benchmark, ahead of its introduction at the annual NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands.
At the time of the exemption, Trump lambasted Spain, describing the decision as “terrible” and suggesting that the US would use it as leverage against Madrid in a trade deal. However, in his more recent remarks, the president threatened to cut off trade with the European nation entirely.
NATO has agreed to meet a 3.5 percent goal by 2035, with an additional 1.5 percent directed to infrastructure programs that support the national defense.
Poland is far better positioned than Spain on defense spending. It is one of the NATO members on track to meet the 3.5 percent GDP core-defense requirement, and is already one of the leading military spenders in NATO. It frequently ranks fourth in spending as a percent of GDP, behind only Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia—three former Soviet republics that border Russia and have a very good reason to spend substantial sums on defense.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.
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