hegseth poland troop withdrawal began when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo that abruptly halted the scheduled deployment of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, which was expected to rotate through Poland and other countries including the Baltic states and Romania.
The memo also canceled a future deployment to Germany of a battalion that specializes in firing long range rockets and missiles, and directed that a command in Europe overseeing those capabilities be removed from the continent, according to two defense officials.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell previously announced that the Pentagon would withdraw roughly 5,000 troops from Germany after what he called a thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe, the officials said.
There are roughly 4,700 soldiers in the brigade combat team whose rotation was canceled and over 500 soldiers in the long range rocket and missile battalion, the officials said. As of 2025 there were roughly 38,000 US troops in Germany and 80,000 US troops in Europe overall, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
Impact And Reactions
Defense Department talking points reviewed by CNN tied the decision to frustration with Europe and Germany, saying European nations have not stepped up when America needed them and that recent Germany rhetoric has been inappropriate and unhelpful.
The prepared talking points said the President is rightly reacting to these counterproductive remarks, that the move will help restore readiness, and that it should send a signal that Germany and other allies must take over primary responsibility for Europe’s defense, the documents said.
The cancellations could provide a way to reduce troop numbers while avoiding the logistics of withdrawing permanently stationed forces with families, the article said, though it is unclear how many soldiers already in Europe will redeploy back to the US.
The announcement drew concern on Capitol Hill. Republican chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Services committees said they were very concerned and highlighted Germany’s increased defense spending and support for US forces, their joint statement said.
Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said the cancellation of the deployment to Poland came as a surprise and that lawmakers had not been notified. She called the move very short sighted and said it sends the wrong message to Vladimir Putin, China, and Iran, her remarks show.
Military officials warned Russia remains a threat. Gen. Alex Grynkewich told lawmakers in March that Russia is an enduring regional challenger, capable of threatening the US homeland, and that despite losses it retains significant capabilities, the record shows.
The Defense Department declined to comment on the deployment cancellations and on the prepared talking points, the reporting said.
