U.S. Open to Poland's Proposal for Permanent Base

The United States has responded positively to Poland's proposal to host a permanent American military base, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said on June 18 following talks with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Brussels. The minister emphasized that no final decision has been made and discussions are ongoing.

The meeting occurred as Secretary Hegseth announced a review of U.S. troop deployments across Europe and warned that Washington could withhold NATO funding if member states fail to meet their defense spending commitments, criticizing what he called "freeriding" allies. The Pentagon has been evaluating its military posture on the continent for several months.

Poland, which currently hosts approximately 10,000 U.S. troops on a rotational basis, has long sought a larger and more permanent American presence to strengthen NATO's eastern flank. This push intensified after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Warsaw arguing a stronger NATO footprint is necessary to deter potential aggression.

Earlier in the week, senior Polish officials indicated the U.S. had expressed interest in the proposal. Cezary Tomczyk, a deputy defense minister,...