At the last moment, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth canceled a long-planned transfer of American soldiers to Poland. He previously praised the country as a “model student”. What’s going on there?
May 15, 2026, 8:25 p.mMay 15, 2026, 8:25 p.m
Remo Hess, Brussels / ch media
The heavy equipment was already on the way. The flag consecration, which is customary before a deployment abroad, was ceremoniously held at the home base of Fort Hood, Texas. But at the last moment, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave the signal to withdraw: The 4,000 US soldiers of the 2nd Mechanized Combat Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, also known as the “Black Jack” Brigade, will not be sent to Poland.
They were supposed to replace other soldiers there for nine months who were stationed together with international forces as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve. The mission was launched in 2014 after Russia’s invasion of the Crimean Peninsula and is intended to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank.
Hegseth visits the base in Powidz, Poland.Image: EPA PAP
The announcement is a surprise: especially in Poland, where no one knew anything about it. On Thursday, Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said “this has nothing to do with Poland” and denied the report. Later it was only said that the USA would “not systematically reduce” its troops in Poland. There are currently around 10,000 US soldiers stationed in Poland.
Even model allies are no longer safe
But Hegseth’s abrupt decision is also said to have raised eyebrows in defense circles on the US side. It caused astonishment in the army that an ongoing troop transfer was canceled at such short notice, reports the Wall Street Journal.
The step is indeed extraordinary. Especially because it hits a US ally in Poland, which Hegseth himself described a few months ago as a “model student” who could count on US favor. Poland has been striving for the closest possible relations with the USA for years and is already spending almost five percent of its economic power on defense, as President Donald Trump has demanded.
It is unclear why the troop deployment was canceled at short notice.Image: EPA PAP
The news is likely to increase existing concerns in the NATO defense alliance. At the beginning of the month, Trump announced the withdrawal of 5,000 soldiers from Germany. In addition, the USA will refrain from stationing “Tomahawk” guided missiles and “Dark Eagle” hypersonic weapons in Germany.
There is a huge gap in Europe when it comes to medium-range missiles
The latter is particularly important from a strategic perspective. In Europe there is a capability gap in the range of 500 kilometers or more. This is because there was an agreement with Russia under the INF Treaty not to station ground-based medium-range missiles in the respective territory.
The treaty expired in 2019 and Russia has at least since then deployed conventional and nuclear-capable Iskander missiles in its Kaliningrad exclave near Poland. In addition, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the relocation of the new “Oreshnik” rocket to Belarus.
The aim of stationing US missiles in Germany was to restore the balance of deterrence. In any case, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that the abandonment of the Tomahawk deployment was news “that worries me more than any other”; by which he means the withdrawal of 5,000 soldiers from Germany.
Trump gives Putin a huge gift
The US decision to reduce troops in Europe was predictable. But the way it is being implemented is worrying. The USA withdraws abruptly and without consultation with the Europeans. As is often the case, President Trump is apparently guided by his own impulses: many see the punitive action against Germany as a retaliation for Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s statement that the USA had been “humiliated” in Iran.
Or was the argument with Merz just an excuse? What is striking is that Trump’s announcement came just two days after an hour-and-a-half phone call with Vladimir Putin on April 29th. This was a “very good conversation,” Trump said afterwards. The topic was the two wars in Ukraine and Iran.
What exactly the two of them agreed on is not known. In any case, one thing is certain: If Trump foregoes stationing deterrent weapons in Europe and withdraws thousands of US troops, that is exactly what Putin wanted. (aargauerzeitung.ch)