Poland seeks answers after Pentagon scraps planned US armored brigade rotation

By Fox News · Fox News

EXCLUSIVE: WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s deputy defense minister said Warsaw will press U.S. officials in the coming days over the Pentagon ’s decision to halt a planned armored brigade rotation of U.S. Army soldiers — a recent move that rattled one of Washington’s closest NATO allies despite assurances that U.S. troop levels in Poland would remain unchanged. At the same time, Polish officials stressed that Warsaw still views itself as a "model ally" within NATO and expects military cooperation with the United States to continue expanding. "We will ask questions and I guess that we will get answers," Polish deputy defense minister Paweł Zalewski told Fox News Digital in an exclusive on-camera interview ahead of meetings in Washington with Pentagon officials and members of Congress. PENTAGON SCALES BACK TROOPS FROM NATO EASTERN FLANK, DENIES AMERICAN WITHDRAWAL FROM EUROPE The comments come days after the Pentagon halted a planned rotation of approximately 4,000 U.S. Army troops to Poland, sparking concern in Warsaw and criticism from U.S. lawmakers. The move affected the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, which had been scheduled to deploy to Poland and other eastern flank positions as part of a routine nine-month NATO force rotation. Around 10,000 U.S. troops are typically stationed in Poland, most serving on rotational deployments lasting several months at a time. Because the U.S. military presence in Poland relies heavily on those recurring rotations, the halted brigade deployment raised concerns in Warsaw. It's not yet clear whether halting the brigade will lead to a permanent reduction in U.S. forces in Poland. Zalewski referenced recent assurances from President Donald Trump to Poland’s president-elect. "We remember that President Trump, directly talking with President Nawrodski president of Poland, declared that the U.S. will maintain its armed forces in our country and the number of armed forces," Zalewski told Fox News Digital. "We’ll be st…