US Troops to Return to Poland Within Eight Weeks, Reaching 10,000 Personnel

Deputy Minister of National Defense of Poland, Czesław Tomczyk, declared that American military forces will return to Poland within eight weeks, bringing the total number of US troops in the country back to around 10,000.

In an interview on the program "Gravity," broadcast by the Polish channel Polsat, Tomczyk clarified that the returning soldiers will not be part of the current rotational forces but will constitute new units. He stated, "Within eight weeks, American soldiers will return to Poland, and we will once again have approximately 10,000 military personnel."

Tomczyk also noted that the recent meeting between Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed the forthcoming steps concerning the American military presence in Poland.

He added that Warsaw is now informed about the future deployment of US forces in Europe and emphasized that these arrangements "will not affect Poland in any way."

Tomczyk underscored the significance of the US forces' return for Poland, explaining that it paves the way for the next phase, which involves establishing a permanent American military presence on Polish soil.

Regarding negotiations on the establishment of a permanent US military base in Poland, he indicated that the regions of Poznań and Wrocław are the most likely candidates to host the future base.

Authorities are currently preparing the necessary documentation and implementing the required legal amendments to create permanent infrastructure for the American forces. Tomczyk pointed out that equipping the base will take several years, although Poland has long invested in developing the infrastructure needed to accommodate allied forces.

He highlighted that in recent years, the government has spent several billion zlotys on upgrading airports, road networks, fuel depots, and military warehouses, confirming that most of this work has been completed.

US forces in Poland participate in missions as part of NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence and the Atlantic Resolve operation. The total number of US military personnel and civilian employees in the country is approximately 10,000.

Earlier this year, the rotational deployment of a segment of the US 1st Cavalry Division from Texas was suspended during the spring.