House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) told Army leaders on Friday his committee is “not happy” with the Pentagon’s recent deployment decisions in Europe.
In recent weeks, the U.S. military canceled the deployment of more than 4,000 troops to Poland and announced it would withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany. It’s unclear whether those troops will return stateside or be redeployed to another European country.
Recommended Stories
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and acting chief of staff of the Army Gen. Christopher LaNeve appeared in front of the House Armed Services Committee on Friday morning to discuss the service’s fiscal 2027 budget proposal.
Rogers said: “We have been very focused on this committee about force posture in [European Command] in particular, not being disturbed particularly without what statute requires is consultation with us and we didn’t get that, so we don’t know what’s going on here. But I can just tell you, we’re not happy with what’s being talked about particularly since there’s been no statutory consultation with us.”
Later in the hearing, he said it’s not Driscoll or LaNeve’s fault, “but know, we are going to mandate that the department follow the statutory minimums that are set in statute on force posture and if there are attempted deviations, we will remedy them and impose a pain, if they aren’t complied with.”
Acting Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez said on Thursday the decision “follows a comprehensive, multilayered process that incorporates perspectives from key leaders in EUCOM and across the chain of command. This was not an unexpected, last-minute decision, and it would be false to report it as such.”
Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA) read Valdez’s statement aloud during the hearing and said, “I don’t see how that statement can be true,” following his questioning of LaNeve and Driscoll.
LaNeve said he did not know the specific day the Office of the Secretary of War reversed the deployment to Poland, but said it was “within the last two weeks.” He also confirmed that advanced elements were already overseas when the determination was made.
Multiple lawmakers on the committee asked “why” the department made the decision but LaNeve deferred to “the policy side.”
Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) called it “reprehensible” and an “embarrassment to our country, what we did to Poland.” He said he received a call from an unnamed Polish official on Thursday who said they were “blindsided.”
Trump has had a rocky relationship with Europe dating back to his first term, largely due to his view that they have not contributed adequately to their own defense, instead relying on the United States. Upon returning to the White House last year, he pushed NATO to raise the minimum defense spending requirement from 2% of gross domestic product to 5%.
EUROPE LOOKS TO UNDERSTAND PENTAGON TROOP RESTRUCTURES
Rogers has frequently pushed back against the president’s apathy toward Europe over the last year or so as Trump continued to threaten not to come to the defense of European allies and to withdraw troops.
The president has also discussed withdrawing U.S. forces from Italy and Spain due to their criticism of the Iran war.
