By Open Chronicle with agencies
U.S. President Donald Trump says Washington and Warsaw are making “major progress” toward establishing a permanent U.S. Army base in Poland, a move that could significantly strengthen the American military footprint on NATO’s eastern flank as security tensions with Russia intensify.
Trump announced the development on Thursday, September 17, crediting Polish President Karol Nawrocki with advancing the proposal and suggesting that the location of the base could soon be revealed.
“Thanks to the bold leadership of my friend, Karol Nawrocki, President of Poland, major progress is being made toward establishing a U.S. Army base in Poland,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, according to Reuters.
“If this happens, the location will be announced very soon,” he added, describing the proposal as a historic step for the U.S.-Polish alliance.
Poland’s long campaign for permanent US forces
A permanent American base has been a longstanding objective for successive Polish governments, reflecting Warsaw’s concerns about Russia and its determination to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank.
U.S. troops are already deployed in Poland, but much of that presence operates on a rotational basis. Warsaw has argued that a permanent installation would provide a stronger and more predictable American commitment to Polish security.
The initiative gained momentum earlier this year.
On June 16, the Polish government formally approved preparations for establishing a permanent U.S. military base. The plan authorised consultations with Washington and preparations covering possible locations, infrastructure, logistics, financing and accommodation for American personnel.
Polish Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz subsequently said he had received a positive response from the Pentagon after formally communicating Poland’s willingness to host the installation.
Following discussions with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on June 18, Kosiniak-Kamysz said Washington had responded positively to the Polish proposal, although no final agreement had been reached.
Trump’s latest statement suggests negotiations have advanced substantially since then.
Nawrocki welcomes the progress
Nawrocki responded positively to Trump’s announcement, reiterating Poland’s willingness to provide a suitable location for the American installation.
The Polish president has made closer defence relations with Washington a central element of his security policy and has argued for maintaining a substantial American military presence in Poland.
According to Reuters, Nawrocki said Poland was prepared to provide the best possible location for the proposed base. Zbigniew Bogucki, head of the Polish president’s chancellery, also welcomed Trump’s statement.
For Warsaw, the strategic logic is clear. Poland borders Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave and Belarus and lies immediately west of Ukraine. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Poland has become one of NATO’s most important logistical and military hubs in Central and Eastern Europe.
American forces stationed there support deterrence, training, logistics and the broader defence of NATO’s eastern flank.
A permanent base as Washington reviews its European forces
The proposed installation is particularly significant because it comes as the United States reassesses its overall military posture in Europe.
In May, the Pentagon reduced the number of U.S. Brigade Combat Teams assigned to Europe from four to three, returning the force structure to its 2021 level.
The Pentagon said the change temporarily delayed a planned deployment to Poland while stressing that Washington intended to maintain a strong military presence in the country.
A broader review of America’s European deployments is also underway.
On September 18, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, U.S. Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich, joined a briefing connected to the Pentagon review. Reuters reported that the process is examining several options for the future distribution of American forces while Washington presses European allies to assume greater responsibility for conventional defence.
Trump’s support for a permanent Polish base therefore points to the possibility of a geographical redistribution rather than a uniform expansion of the U.S. presence across Europe.
Some American forces could ultimately become more concentrated along NATO’s eastern flank even as Washington considers reductions or restructuring elsewhere.
Poland’s strategic importance grows
Poland’s position has changed considerably since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The country has emerged as a major transit hub for Western military assistance to Kyiv while simultaneously undertaking one of Europe’s largest military modernisation programmes.
Warsaw has purchased large quantities of American military equipment, including Abrams tanks, Patriot air defence systems, HIMARS rocket launchers and F-35A fighters.
The result is a rapidly expanding military relationship between Poland and the United States that extends far beyond the presence of American soldiers.
A permanent U.S. Army base would deepen that relationship further by creating infrastructure intended for a long-term American presence rather than relying primarily on recurring rotations.
It could also strengthen military planning between the two countries and facilitate faster reinforcement of NATO’s eastern territories during a crisis.
Russian attacks heighten Polish security concerns
The announcement comes during another period of heightened concern over Russian military activity close to NATO territory.
On September 17, Russia launched a large missile and drone attack against Kyiv and several other Ukrainian regions. More than 20 people were injured, and Ukrainian energy and communications infrastructure was damaged.
Poland scrambled military aircraft in response to the attacks near its borders, although Polish authorities reported no violation of national airspace during that episode. Airports at Rzeszów and Lublin were temporarily closed as a precaution.
Polish authorities have also increased readiness following a series of drone and security incidents affecting NATO’s eastern members.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned on September 18 that intelligence available to Poland and its allies indicated Russia could intensify hybrid pressure against NATO countries supporting Ukraine. His statements represented the Polish government’s assessment of the threat rather than independently established evidence of a specific forthcoming Russian attack.
Against that backdrop, Warsaw views a permanent American presence as an additional element of deterrence.
A stronger American foothold on NATO’s eastern flank
A permanent U.S. Army installation would have significance beyond bilateral relations between Washington and Warsaw.
Poland occupies a central position in NATO’s eastern defence architecture. To its northeast lies the Baltic region, while Ukraine is directly to the east and Belarus hosts Russian military forces and infrastructure.
The country is also close to the Suwałki corridor, the narrow stretch of territory connecting Poland with Lithuania between Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad region. NATO planners have long considered the area strategically important for the defence of the Baltic states.
An American base in Poland would therefore form part of a much larger network of NATO installations, logistics hubs, air bases and multinational forces stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea.
Its precise strategic role would depend heavily on its eventual location, the units permanently assigned there and the infrastructure developed around it.
Those details have not yet been announced.
No final agreement yet
Despite Trump’s optimistic language, the project has not been formally completed.
Reuters reported that a final decision on a permanent base had not been announced, and Trump’s wording remained conditional, saying “if this happens” before indicating that a location could be revealed soon.
Important questions therefore remain unresolved, including the size of the installation, the number and type of forces that would be permanently assigned to it, how construction and operating costs would be divided and how the base would fit into the Pentagon’s broader European force review.
Nevertheless, the public statements from both governments indicate that the proposal has moved beyond Poland’s longstanding aspiration and into detailed bilateral discussions.
For Warsaw, a permanent U.S. base would represent a major reinforcement of its security relationship with Washington.
For the United States, it could signal a broader shift in how American forces are distributed across Europe, with greater emphasis on NATO’s eastern flank even as Washington reassesses the overall size and structure of its military presence on the continent.