The Pentagon halted the planned deployment of about 4,000 US troops to Poland, US officials said, after 
Donald Trump's administration moved to pull out roughly 5,000 soldiers from Germany. The paused force, the Army's 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, would not deploy "in theater," acting Army chief of staff General Christopher LaNeve told the House Armed Services Committee, while Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said the deployment was halted "a couple days ago," DW reported.
The decision drew criticism from both parties. Connecticut Democrat Joe Courtney called it a "horrible message," and Alabama Republican Mike Rogers, the committee's ranking member, said there had been "no statutory consultation" with Congress, DW reported. Nebraska Republican Don Bacon said Polish officials were "blindsided" and called the move "an embarrassment." A Pentagon spokesperson said the withdrawal followed "a comprehensive, multilayered process," and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he had received assurances the changes were "of a logistical nature."
In Vilseck, the Bavarian town that hosts the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, Mayor Thorsten Grädler said losing 5,000 soldiers and their families — roughly double the town's population — would have "dramatic consequences," NPR reported, estimating more than $800m in lost annual revenue. More than 37,000 US forces remain in Germany as part of a presence dating to the Cold War, and the reported withdrawal would not end the US engagement there but would still hit the town, the outlet reported. Local business owners described American personnel as integral to community life, while some residents said they doubted the withdrawal would happen.
The drawdown follows a public clash between Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said the US was being "humiliated" by Iran's leadership amid the ongoing war; Trump responded that Merz should focus on "fixing his broken country." At a security event in Estonia, US Undersecretary of State Thomas DiNanno said the European drawdown was "right there in black and white" but added the "US isn't going anywhere," DW reported.
Figures referenced: Donald Trump. — JudgeMarket.
