WARSAW, Poland – The Pentagon says a planned rotation of thousands of U.S. troops to Europe’s eastern flank is on hold. Questions remain about the reason for the decision and what it means for U.S. allies.
CBN News has been traveling through several NATO countries in the region as nations are facing a potential Russian threat.
Here in Warsaw, officials say they’re not overly concerned by reports that a rotation of roughly 4,000 U.S. troops will no longer deploy to NATO’s eastern flank.
As that news was breaking, we spoke with officials from both Lithuania and Poland.
Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Kęstutis Budrys told CBN News, “This is our interest and this is the interest of United States to keep troops in Europe. This is the very effective strategic ally way to keep deterrence in place. This is a proven way for militarily to have the place for the troops to train together with the European troops. This is also useful for U.S. to extend its power and also to conduct the operations that are further away like the Middle East. And then it’s also part of our transatlantic cooperation.”
Meanwhile, in Poland, the deputy foreign minister said Warsaw is not alarmed by the reports, but officials would have appreciated far more communication from Washington.
They say some level of U.S. troop reduction in Europe has long been expected, but they want any changes to be gradual, strategic, and clearly communicated.
Ultimately, Polish officials say it’s not just troop numbers that matter most — it’s knowing the United States would stand with its allies in a crisis.
