Poland’s defense minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz declared Tuesday that the Pentagon has given a "green light" to plans for a permanent U.S. military base, with President Donald Trump expected to make a final decision in early December. Speaking after talks in Washington with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Kosiniak-Kamysz reported that his American counterpart stated "everything is moving in the right direction." The project has not yet received formal U.S. approval, though Warsaw interprets the signal as positive. This development occurs while the Pentagon reviews its military presence across Europe, a process expected to conclude by December. Other NATO allies fear Trump could withdraw thousands more troops during this review, making the Polish base a critical exception to potential reductions.
A rare political agreement
The proposal is a rare point of agreement between Poland’s feuding leaders Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Karol Nawrocki. Despite their bitter confrontation over control of Poland’s top court, they agreed last week to cooperate on securing the base. Nawrocki, a Trump ally whom the U.S. president backed in last year’s election, has embraced the proposed name "Fort Trump," first floated by his predecessor Andrzej Duda in 2018. Poland already hosts thousands of American troops largely on rotating deployments, but Warsaw pushes for a permanent installation to secure long-term security guarantees.
Hegseth praised Poland’s military buildup, calling its army "one of the most formidable" in Europe. He also pushed for European NATO allies to take greater responsibility for their own defense, potentially allowing Washington to reduce its troop presence on the continent. The Pentagon’s own account stopped short of endorsing the base or confirming the December timetable, but acknowledged ongoing talks about strengthening the permanent U.S. military presence in Poland. The U.S. Department of Defense didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the specific timeline or budgetary details for the new facility.
