Poland and the US have reached the final stage of negotiations on the establishment of a new permanent US military base on Polish territory. The President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, stated that the decision to transition US troops to a model of permanent presence had been taken by Donald Trump earlier and confirmed during subsequent talks. An American delegation has already surveyed potential sites for the future base.
- Poland is preparing for a permanent US base.
- Navrotsky says that Trump has already made the decision.
- The Americans inspected the potential sites.
- The final location has not yet been announced.
- There are already around 10,000 US troops stationed in Poland.
Poland comments on Trump’s decision
16 September: the President of Poland Karol Navrotskyi stated that the country is «on the eve of final implementation» agreements regarding permanent the presence of American troops. According to him, the relevant decision Donald Trump agreed upon during their first meeting, and subsequently reaffirmed it during their subsequent contacts.
The Polish Deputy Minister of Defence made a similar statement Pavel Zalevsky. He stated that a political decision on the establishment of a US base had already been taken, and that the negotiations had now moved to the level of Pentagon representatives.
The final deployment of specific US units will depend on a wider review of the US military presence in Europe being carried out by the Pentagon.
The Americans have already been assessing potential sites for the base
In early September, a delegation from the US administration arrived in Poland to inspect potential sites for the permanent stationing of troops.
According to Polish officials, the US side was assessing the infrastructure, transport links, accommodation options for military personnel and logistics. Polish media report that the options under consideration include Wrocław and Olesznica in Lower Silesia, although these locations have not yet been officially confirmed.
Minister of Defence of Poland Vladislav Kosinyak-Kamysh He had previously stated that Warsaw was prepared to cover a significant proportion of the costs involved in establishing a permanent base.
There are already around 10,000 US troops in Poland
The US military presence in Poland is already one of the largest on NATO’s eastern flank.
According to official figures from the Polish Ministry of Defence, there are around 10,000 American military personnel, although a significant proportion of the contingent is on a rotational basis.
A permanent garrison is already in place in Poznań U.S. Army Garrison Poland, as well as the forward command post of the US Army’s V Corps. Poland is also hosting armoured, air force and logistical units of the US armed forces. Therefore, the new project does not mean that US troops are being deployed to Poland «from scratch». What is meant is expanding the permanent presence and establishing a separate, large base, where American units could be stationed on a non-rotational basis.
Poland officially proposed the base back in the summer
In June, the Polish government officially instructed the Ministry of Defence to begin preparations for the establishment of a permanent US base.
Premier Donald Tusk He stated at the time that Poland should put in place, in advance, the housing, logistical, financial and organisational arrangements for American troops. Later, during NATO summit In Ankara, the Polish side reported that Washington had given its political «green light» for further work on the project. Navrotsky himself noted that the establishment of a permanent US base is one of Poland’s strategic foreign policy and security objectives.
What is known about Trump’s statement
A claim is circulating on social media that Trump allegedly referred to the establishment of a base «a historic step for the great alliance between the US and Poland». As at the time of publication, no such verbatim wording could be found in the latest official White House statements. Instead, the Polish President and government have publicly confirmed that it was Trump who gave his political approval for a permanent US military presence.
It is therefore now possible to say with certainty that a decision taken at a political level and the final stage of preparation, whilst the final technical specifications of the base are yet to be announced.
