The War Department has not yet decided where to deploy the 4,000 troops that were initially intended for Poland, according to Vice President JD Vance.
“Those troops could go elsewhere in Europe, we could decide to send them elsewhere,” Vance said during a White House briefing on Tuesday afternoon when asked about the delayed rotational deployment of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. “We actually haven’t made the final determination about where those troops are ultimately going to go.”
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Multiple Eastern European countries offered to host additional American troops as they view the U.S. presence as a deterrent for Russian aggression.
Vance reiterated the administration’s stance that European countries broadly need to become more self-sufficient on defense and national security instead of relying on the United States military. His comments come on the heels of an announcement from President Donald Trump that the U.S. would withdraw 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany over the next six to 12 months.
“I think, frankly, a lot of the European media, again, is overreacting to this,” Vance said, adding, “What our foreign policy is geared toward is promoting European independence and sovereignty. We want Europe to take more ownership over its own territorial integrity. We want Europe to step up in a big way.”
Polish Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Zalewski said he intends to get more information from the Trump administration on its decision.
Pentagon officials disputed that the decision not to deploy the brigade to Poland was a “last-minute decision.”
Acting Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez said last week 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.”
Lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee expressed their frustration about not being informed about the paused deployment during a hearing with Army leaders last week. 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.”
Similarly, the committee chairman, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), said, “We’re not happy with what’s being talked about particularly since there’s been no statutory consultation with us,” and he warned that they will “impose a pain,” if there “are attempted deviations.”
