US Agrees to Send 1,000 More Troops to Poland

Following recent negotiations between Poland’s Duda government and the Trump Administration, defense officials say the US will be deploying 1,000 additional ground troops into Poland.

Polish officials had expressed hope for a tank division from the US, but reports indicate that the 1,000 new troops will be purely logistics troops. Polish officials still say they will add to the capabilities of the overall US deployment, and will help Poland progress from hosting “temporary/provisional” deployments to something more permanent.

That has long been a top priority for the Polish government, as some have complained that they aren’t getting to host nearly so many NATO troops as they were led to believe when joining the alliance. The underlying assumption is that Poland would enjoy an economic boost from hosting foreign troops from Western nations.

Increased deployments in Poland and the Baltic states have become a common policy within NATO, nominally to counter a potential Russian invasion. After years of predicting a Russian invasion, that claim seems as unlikely as ever, but the troop deployments continue.

Having 5,000 US troops in Poland effectively puts them on the front line with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. Military exercise held in Poland often simulate marching troops toward Russian territory, and adding to the US presence just increases the threat of a fight breaking out there.