US pulling troops from Poland hub key in shipping arms to Ukraine
The U.S. military will pull its forces and equipment from a southeastern Polish logistics hub that is key in shipping weapons into Ukraine, a move a senior defense official claimed would save 'tens of millions of dollars.'
U.S. Army Europe-Africa head Gen. Christopher Donahue on Monday announced the planned repositioning of the command's personnel from Jasionka to other sites in the country, which permanently stations about 10,000 U.S. troops.
In a statement, the command said the transition is 'part of a broader strategy to optimize U.S. military operations and comes after months of assessment and planning in coordination with Poland and NATO allies.'
'After three years at Jasionka this is an opportunity to right-size our footprint and save American taxpayers tens of millions of dollars per year,' Donahue said in the statement.
U.S. forces established a temporary presence in Jasionka in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine, igniting a bloody war that has stretched on for more than three years. Jasionka, though not a permanent Polish military base, has been a key hub for getting weapons into Ukraine as it is close to the border.
Poland's defense minister in January said up to 95 percent of the military assistance to Ukraine moves through Jasionka.
While the U.S. military will no longer have a lead role at Jasionka, the command stressed that the 'important work of facilitating military aid to Ukraine via Jasionka will continue under Polish and NATO leadership.'
The duties previously carried out by U.S. forces in Jasionka are now being taken over by other allies, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed Tuesday on social media.
'U.S. troops remain in Poland, but are stationed at different locations. The mission in Jasionka is now primarily carried out by Norwegian, German, British, and Polish forces, along with other allied troops,' he posted to X.
The move comes amid increasing worry the U.S. may pull away from its commitments to NATO and European defense. President Trump has often threatened not to come to the defense allies countries he thinks are not spending enough on defense. Poland is the exception on defense spending in Europe, with 4.7 percent of its GDP spent on its military, the highest in NATO.
There are also concerns over whether Trump could give up Washington's leadership role within the alliance and shift troops out of Europe en masse, a move that several Republican lawmakers and the commander of U.S. forces in Europe argued against on Tuesday.
'It would be a grave mistake to pull forces out of Europe right now,' Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday. 'This is a time to deter Russia, and I think withdrawing forces is a sign of weakness.'
U.S. European Command head Gen. Christopher Cavoli, who testified before House lawmakers, said that he's 'consistently recommended' keeping the same level of U.S. troops on the conntinent since Russia began its war in Ukraine.
'It's my advice to maintain that force posture as it is now,' he said.
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