Vance says US troop deployment to Poland has been delayed

WASHINGTON – Vice-President J.D. Vance on May 19 told reporters a US troop deployment to Poland had been delayed, but added it was not accurate to say the troops were being withdrawn from Europe.

Reports about the possible cancellation of the deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland have drawn sharp criticism from US lawmakers concerned about the potential for US President Donald Trump to abandon European allies.

Mr Vance, at a White House briefing, said the US wants to encourage Europe to “take more ownership” of the common defence.

“We’re not talking about pulling every single American troop out of Europe. We’re talking about shifting some resources around in a way that maximises American security. I don’t think that’s bad for Europe,” he said.

The US has been reviewing its troop presence in Europe and has long been expected to scale it back following demands from Mr Trump that NATO take a larger role in the defence of Europe. The Pentagon has not yet detailed how it envisions future troop deployments across the continent.

“We’ve not reduced the troop levels in Poland by 4,000 troops. What we did is that we delayed a troop deployment that was going to go to Poland, that’s not a reduction, that’s just a standard delay in rotation that sometimes happens in these situations,” Mr Vance said.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell on May 19 confirmed a “temporary delay” and said it was the result of a reduction of brigade combat teams assigned to Europe to three from four.

The reduction was “the result of a comprehensive, multi-layered process focused on US force posture in Europe,” Mr Parnell said on X.

“The Department will determine the final disposition of these and other US forces in Europe based on further analysis of US strategic and operational requirements, as well as our allies’ own ability to contribute forces toward Europe’s defence,” Mr Parnell said.

He said Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke with Polish Deputy Prime Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz on May 19, adding “the Department will remain in close contact with our Polish counterparts as this analysis proceeds, including to ensure that the United States retains a strong military presence in Poland”. REUTERS