The Pentagon has abruptly scrapped plans to deploy a brigade of 4,200 U.S. troops, which make up one of the Army\u2019s frontline tank formations, to Poland, according to five U.S. officials. The move would cut the American combat power in Poland by nearly half.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Army\u2019s 1st Cavalry Division, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, based at Fort Hood, Texas had been slated to replace another armored unit from the same division that deployed to Poland last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The move came as a surprise both inside the unit and among defense officials and lawmakers. Preparations for the deployment were already well underway with the brigade having shipped much of its equipment and advance personnel into Europe, a routine step in large-scale military movements that sends troops and gear ahead of the main force.<\/p>\n
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters she was concerned. “It is not at all clear” why the decision was made, Shaheen said, adding she does not believe Congress was briefed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“One of the advantages of having those operating bases in Poland is that, if we have to deploy, we’ve got a base from which to do that,” Shaheen said. “And that’s not only faster, but it’s cheaper.”<\/p>\n
![\"2nd](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/2bbe2018-32fe-44b6-b33a-2ac8bc89bfbd\/fort-hood-tank-gty-jt-260512_1778627153771_hpMain_16x9t.jpg?w=375 "\\"2nd")
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>A M109 A7 Paladin self waits in a field during live fire training on April 29, 2026, in Fort Hood, Texas.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Brandon Bell\/Getty Images, FILE<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The decision follows a separate Pentagon announcement two weeks ago that over the next 6 to 12 months roughly 5,000 U.S. troops would be withdrawn from Germany, with President Donald Trump saying those cuts will go \u201ca lot further.\u201d<\/p>\n At the time, a senior defense official said that force reduction would bring U.S. combat troop levels in Europe to what they were prior to Russia\u2019s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear whether canceling the brigade\u2019s rotation is tied to that drawdown in Germany or reflects a separate effort to further reduce the U.S. military footprint in Europe. During rotations to Poland, units may also have personnel across Europe, including Germany and Lithuania.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Polish defense minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, said on social media that the deployment cancellation \u201cdoes not concern Poland\u201d and that it \u201crelates to the previously announced change\u201d to the U.S. troops presence in Europe.\u00a0<\/p>\n A separate Polish official said that the move came as \u201ca surprise.\u201d The Pentagon declined to comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n