House Republicans fumed Friday after the Pentagon scrapped a deployment of 4,000 US troops to Poland – a nation War Secretary Pete Hegseth has praised for being a “model ally.”
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and acting Chief of Staff Gen. Christopher LaNeve were grilled by lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee about the Pentagon’s move to cancel routine deployment of the Fort Hood, Texas-based 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team of 1st Cavalry Division but couldn’t provide an exact reason for the decision.
“I got to tell you, it’s reprehensible. It’s an embarrassment to our country what we just did to Poland,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) raged.
“There is no good explanation,” the retiring congressman continued. “There’s got to be some explanation.”
LaNeve, who cautioned he’s “not on the policy side,” suggested officials reviewed the force structure in Europe and determined “we could reap back one of the brigades that are in the rotation.”
“I think I represent the views of the vast majority [on the House Armed Services Committee],” Bacon responded. “We disagree.”
The Nebraska Republican slammed the decision as “foolish” and a “terrible message to Russia and to our allies.” Bacon also revealed Polish officials told him they were “blindsided” by the move.
“This is a slap in the face to Poland. It’s a slap in the face to our Baltic friends and I think it’s a slap to the face to this committee,” the congressman said.
Last year, Hegseth lauded Poland as “a model ally on the continent,” for its willingness to “invest not just in their defense, but in our shared defense.”
“The level of partnership — just to underscore here — is unmatched in Europe,” the war secretary said of the US alliance with Poland.
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President Trump expressed an openness to expanding the US military’s presence in Poland earlier this month, after announcing plans to withdraw 5,000 American soldiers from Germany – which had been critical of the Iran war.
“Poland would like that,” Trump said on May 8. “We have a great relationship with Poland. I have a great relationship with the president … I like him a lot, so that’s possible.”
In anticipation of their now-cancelled 9-month mission, the brigade held a casing of colors ceremony – an Army tradition ahead of deployment – on May 4, according to Stars and Stripes.
LaNeve told lawmakers the decision came down “relatively recent …probably within the last two weeks.”
However, a Pentagon spokesman appeared to push back on the chief of staff’s testimony.
“The decision to withdraw troops follows a comprehensive, multilayered process that incorporates perspectives from key leaders in EUCOM and across the chain of command,” acting Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez said in a statement. This was not an unexpected, last minute decision, and it would be false to report it as such.”
The Pentagon declined to provide The Post with any additional information about the decision.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“We don’t know what’s going on here, but I can just tell you we’re not happy with what’s being talked about, particularly since there’s been no statutory consultation with us,” House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) said at the hearing.
Meanwhile, Polish officials contend the alliance with US remains “durable and lasting.”
“Poland continues to be the most stable American ally in Europe,” Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said Friday.
Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Zalewski told the Polish outlet TVN24 that he doesn’t expect a continued reduction in US troops in Poland.
“The assurance we have received is that the Americans do not plan to systematically reduce the US presence in Poland,” he said.
