The U.S. military abruptly canceled the deployment of more than 4,000 troops to Poland and announced it would withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany as the department restructures its posture in Europe.The canceled deployment to Poland, which was reported on Wednesday, involved the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, also known as the “Black Jack” brigade, based at Fort Hood, Texas. There was no immediate explanation for the decision.There are approximately 80,000 U.S. troops in Europe.
The administration’s decision to pull troops from Germany came amid Trump’s public feud with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the Iran war. Trump has since warned that the Pentagon would be “cutting a lot further than 5,000.”
Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas made headlines on Wednesday as well, when he indicated the United States had suspended its troop rotation to Europe, but he clarified those remarks to the Washington Examiner during a meeting in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital.
“Lithuania remains in constant contact with its allies and operates on the basis of official information provided by them,” he said. “Lithuania has received no information from the United States regarding the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Lithuanian territory. However, Lithuania had been previously informed of possible changes to the rotation in the U.S. presence in Europe.”
