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US redeploying troops from 1st Cavalry Division to Poland — Polish official
Poland is negotiating with the United States to increase the American military contingent in the country, according to Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Zalewski. The move comes as the US continues rotating troops from the 1st Armored Division into Poland, with Washington also planning to pull a cavalry regiment from Germany, potentially boosting the roughly 10,000 US personnel already stationed there.
Poland is in talks with the United States about expanding the American military presence in the country, a senior Polish defense official said, as Washington proceeds with a long-planned troop rotation that will see more soldiers and equipment arrive in Central Europe.
Coverage comparison
Reporting on the development, Russia's state news agency TASS carried statements from two Polish officials on successive days. One report quoted Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Zalewski as saying Warsaw is negotiating with the Pentagon over "the expansion of US military capacity" in Poland, adding that "Poland's intentions remain unchanged: strengthening US capabilities, especially on [NATO's] eastern flank." The same report noted that Zalewski did not confirm whether the increase is tied to a potential US withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany.
A separate TASS dispatch, dated May 17, quoted Bartosz Grodecki, head of Poland's National Security Bureau, on the ongoing relocation of 1st Cavalry Division troops to Poland. Grodecki wrote that "to date, over 20% of the planned number of troops and about 70% of military equipment have been relocated from Fort Hood to Poland." He also said the US plans to pull the 2nd Cavalry Regiment from Vilseck, Germany, and may redeploy it to Poland. Grodecki noted that US personnel have been stationed in Poland as part of several operations, with their numbers fluctuating around 10,000.
Key claims
US troop increase in Poland
According to the TASS reports, the United States is increasing its military contingent in Poland, with one official describing the redeployment of troops and equipment as ongoing. The reports cite more than 20% of planned personnel and roughly 70% of equipment from one US division having arrived so far.
2nd Cavalry Regiment withdrawal from Germany
The same Polish official said the US plans to withdraw the 2nd Cavalry Regiment from Vilseck, Germany, and may redeploy it to Poland. This would be a second major unit to be stationed in Poland, following the relocation of elements of the 1st Cavalry Division.
Existing US presence in Poland
Around 10,000 US troops are currently based in Poland, the Polish official said, though he did not confirm whether the reported potential increase in the US presence is linked to the possible withdrawal of the roughly 5,000 troops from Germany.
Perspectives
Polish perspective
Polish officials frame the development as the continuation of an agreed US posture to strengthen NATO's eastern flank. Both Zalewski and Grodecki are careful to say that it is not the withdrawal from Germany that is driving the increase; rather, it is a normal rotation of forces across the continent.
US perspective
In neither report did US officials provide formal comment, leaving the decision on troop levels to Washington. As Zalewski said, "The decision regarding what will happen to US soldiers [in Poland] is a decision for Washington to make."
Notes on sourcing
Both reports are independently sourced and are in agreement on the central facts. The figures for equipment relocated and troop numbers come from a single official quoted in TASS and have not been confirmed by the US side. The specific withdrawal of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment from Germany is likewise reported by a single Polish official as a potential plan, and it is not yet known to be finalized.