The US military has stated it planned to withdraw military personnel and equipment from the Polish city of Rzeszów, the main hub for aid for Ukraine, and relocate them to other parts of Poland.
That was, Washington said, in order to make savings and see Poland and other NATO partners take greater responsibility for security in the region.
US broadcaster NBC reported on April 8 that the US was considering withdrawing 10,000 troops from NATO’s Eastern flank.
After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Rzeszów and its airport became the main hub for military equipment and humanitarian goods being delivered to Ukraine. It served the same purpose for officials travelling in and out of the country, with the US military protecting it with troops and missile batteries.
On April 7 the United States Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) issued a press release stating it was “announcing the planned repositioning of US military equipment and personnel from Rzeszów, Poland, to other sites in the country”.
According to the statement, the decision “reflects months of assessment and planning, co-ordinated closely with Polish hosts and NATO allies” and was “part of a broader strategy to optimise US military operations, improving the level of support to allies and partners while also enhancing efficiencies”.
“After three years at Jasionka, this is an opportunity to right-size our footprint and save American taxpayers tens of millions of dollars per year,” added commanding general of USAREUR-AF Christopher Donahue.
The US stressed that the decision did not in any way mark any dissatisfaction with Poland or a decrease in US support for the country.
Donahue told reporters on April 7 that “Poland is a great host” and that “in the past few years, we have moved to more permanent facilities in the country” to house the current 10,000 US military personnel stationed in the country.
The US said it assumed that the work in the region would continue with the assistance of allies, such as Germany, which in January of this year began protecting Rzeszów with two of its patriot batteries, taking over from US troops.
“The important work of facilitating military aid to Ukraine via Jasionka will continue under Polish and NATO leadership, supported by a streamlined US military footprint,” noted the USAREUR-AF statement.
Polish President Andrzej Duda, asked by reporters on April 8 about the US decision on Rzeszów, insisted that “the matter had been discussed with allies” and it certainly did not mean “American troops were withdrawing from Poland”.
A former commander of Poland’s special forces, the GROM, told Polish portal Biznes alert it was a sign that “the US does not want to back Ukraine to the extent it has so far and therefore the decision to withdraw from Rzeszów is not good news for Ukraine”.
He also stated the decision meant the US “was willing to leave Ukraine to be supported by other NATO members and the European Union” but added that he felt the US remained committed to defending NATO’s Eastern flank.
According to NBC‘s report of April 8, though, the administration of US President Donald Trump was considering the withdrawal of 10,000 out of the presently stationed 20,000 troops on NATO’s Eastern flank in Romania and Poland. That was, it said, as part of the US refocusing of the deployment of military resources towards Asia and the Pacific. The US administration has so far refused to either deny or confirm the report.
Poland, which is NATO’s largest military spender in relation to its GDP, has enjoyed close relations with the US under both the Biden and Trump administrations. Pete Hegseth, the current US defence secretary, described Poland as a “model ally” during his February visit but would not commit his country to a permanent presence of its troops in future.
Poland has been a regular and frequent buyer of US military equipment such as HIMARS missile launchers, F-35 fighter planes and Abrams tanks.
In early April, the Polish and US governments signed an agreement worth $2 billion (€1.8 billion) for the provision of US logistical and training support for Poland’s Patriot air defence systems.
