Poland Says Pentagon Gives ‘Green Light’ for Permanent U.S. Base

After talks at the Pentagon on Tuesday, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had answered a question on a permanent American military presence with a brief assurance.

“Everything is going in a good direction.”

Kosiniak-Kamysz presented that reply as Pentagon approval for a lasting U.S. base on Polish territory. A ministry statement said the final decision would still be taken by the White House at the beginning of December.

No location or force size was announced. The minister said working-level teams were still comparing sites and drafting the foundations of an agreement.

White House Decision Still Ahead

President Donald Trump wrote in September that “major progress” was being made toward a U.S. Army base in Poland and that a location would be announced “very soon” if the plan went ahead. In early October, asked about the project, he said Washington was “looking at that, and it could happen.”

The Pentagon has not issued a separate public confirmation of a formal approval. The “green light” description comes from the Polish minister’s account of the meeting.

Europe Force Review

The talks are taking place while Washington reviews its military presence in Europe, a process the Polish ministry said is still underway. Warsaw formally proposed a new permanent base in June, and a U.S. delegation visited Poland in early September to examine possible locations.

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said in late September that the two sides were discussing a second U.S. base of brigade size.

Any shift in the American posture could follow a wider drawdown debate in Europe. Some reports have suggested that the largest changes could affect forces in Germany, Italy and Spain, with troops reportedly moved toward NATO’s eastern flank.

Poland’s Existing American Presence

Poland already hosts a permanent U.S. Army garrison at Camp Kościuszko in Poznań, established in March 2023, and a forward headquarters of V Corps, which coordinates U.S. land forces on the eastern flank. Most of the roughly 10,000 American troops in the country serve on a rotational basis.

Warsaw has long sought to lock in a larger, lasting combat presence, a goal once branded “Fort Trump.” After a planned armored brigade rotation was canceled earlier this year, Trump said the United States would send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland. He later told Polish President Karol Nawrocki that Washington would send more forces if asked, even as the Pentagon prepared to pare back other security aid on Russia’s frontier.

Kosiniak-Kamysz called a permanent U.S. presence Poland’s “absolute priority.”

Defense Industry Pact

At the same Pentagon meeting, the two sides signed a declaration of intent to expand defense-industry cooperation. Kosiniak-Kamysz said Washington had also approved a Polish site for a PAC-3 missile service center used in Patriot batteries. A service center for Apache and Black Hawk helicopters is already in Poland.

Hegseth said Poland was “building one of the most powerful armies in Europe” and remained an example for other NATO allies. The Polish minister called the visit ground-breaking and said he would present the industry statement at a meeting of European Union defense ministers the following Tuesday.