May 14, 2026, 08:18May 14, 2026, 08:18
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According to media reports, the US Department of Defense has stopped sending more than 4,000 soldiers from a combat brigade to Europe. The decision to do so was communicated on Wednesday at a meeting of the European Command of the US Armed Forces (Eucom) and parts of the US Army, reported the Wall Street Journal, among others, citing a Pentagon official. It was actually expected that the soldiers would be stationed in Poland for a nine-month deployment.
The US Army announced in March that the combat brigade would replace other forces as part of a regularly scheduled rotation. Some of the equipment and soldiers were already on the way, which is why some members of the army were surprised by the decision, writes the Wall Street Journal.
Eucom recommended not replacing the more than 4,000 soldiers in the combat brigade after their rotational deployment of several months, the newspaper reports, citing several Pentagon officials. However, the regional command did not insist on an immediate halt to operations.
According to the “Task and Purpose” platform, which focuses on defense news, it was planned that the soldiers would work together with armed forces from partner countries, especially in Poland. According to the report, the operation was intended to support “Operation Atlantic Resolve”, which was launched by the USA in 2014 in response to the Russian annexation of the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea to support NATO partners.
Just two weeks ago, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the withdrawal of around 5,000 US soldiers from Germany. Poland then reaffirmed its willingness to accept more US soldiers. According to Polish President Karol Nawrocki, there are currently almost 10,000 US soldiers stationed in Poland. Most of them rotate regularly between different US military bases in Europe. (sda/dpa)