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The Pentagon announced Tuesday it is reducing the number of Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) stationed in Europe from four to three as the Trump administration presses NATO allies to increase defense spending.
The decision comes after President Donald Trump repeatedly said European countries should contribute more to their own defense while relying less on the United States. It also follows the Pentagon’s recent decision to halt a planned rotation of roughly 4,000 U.S. troops to Poland.
While the War Department did not specify the number of troops affected, a BCT typically consists of about 4,400 to 4,700 soldiers. Officials said the move would return troop levels in Europe to those seen in 2021.
“This decision was the result of a comprehensive, multilayered process focused on U.S. force posture in Europe,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
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The department said the move would temporarily delay the deployment of U.S. forces to Poland, which it described as “a model U.S. ally.”
“The Department will determine the final disposition of these and other U.S. forces in Europe based on further analysis of U.S. strategic and operational requirements, as well as our allies’ own ability to contribute forces toward Europe’s defense,” the statement said.
“This analysis is designed to advance President Trump’s America First agenda in Europe and other theaters, including by incentivizing and enabling our NATO allies to take primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense,” it added.
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War Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke Tuesday with Polish Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, the Pentagon said, adding that the U.S. would remain in close contact with Polish officials throughout the review process.
“Poland has shown both the ability and resolve to defend itself,” the department said. “Other NATO allies should follow suit.”
The announcement came after Reuters reported Tuesday that the Trump administration plans to inform NATO allies this week that the United States would reduce the military capabilities available to support Europe during a major conflict, citing sources familiar with the matter.
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The move also comes 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 affected unit, the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, had been scheduled to deploy to Poland and other eastern flank positions as part of a routine nine-month NATO rotation.
Around 10,000 U.S. troops are typically stationed in Poland, most serving on rotational deployments lasting several months. Because the American military presence in Poland relies heavily on those rotations, the halted deployment raised concerns among Polish officials.
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President Donald Trump spoke with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during the North Atlantic Council plenary meeting at the NATO summit in The Hague on June 25, 2025. (Ludovic Marin/AFP)
Poland’s deputy defense minister said Warsaw plans to press U.S. officials in the coming days over the Pentagon’s decision.
“We will ask questions and I guess that we will get answers,” Polish Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Zalewski previously told Fox News Digital in an interview ahead of meetings in Washington with Pentagon officials and members of Congress.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth meets with President Donald Trump and Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 3, 2025. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg)
Polish officials have continued describing the country as a “model ally” within NATO and said they expect military cooperation with the United States to continue expanding.
Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.