Poland's defense minister said on Tuesday that the Pentagon had given a "green light" for a permanent U.S. military base in the country, with President Donald Trump expected to make a final decision in early December.
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Poland's deputy prime minister and minister of national defense, announced the development after meeting U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon on November 10. "We interpret that as a green light from the Pentagon," Kosiniak-Kamysz said, referring to Hegseth's statement that "everything is moving in the right direction." The project has not yet received formal U.S. approval. Kosiniak-Kamysz also thanked Hegseth for work to implement Trump's declaration on deploying another 5,000 U.S. soldiers to Poland.
A six-month review of U.S. military presence in Europe nears its conclusion at the end of the year. Reports indicate that decisions from the Pentagon could affect U.S. forces in Germany, Italy and Spain, with some troops potentially moved to NATO's eastern flank. In September, Trump said "great progress" was being made toward establishing a base for U.S. Army soldiers in Poland, crediting Polish President Karol Nawrocki's "brave leadership."
During the same meeting, Hegseth and Kosiniak-Kamysz signed a statement of intent to strengthen defense industry cooperation between the two countries. Kosiniak-Kamysz said Poland would advocate at an upcoming EU defense ministers' meeting for American-made equipment to access European Union funds. They also discussed Poland's request to purchase Tomahawk cruise missiles, with Kosiniak-Kamysz saying the Pentagon gave a positive recommendation, though the final decision rests with the U.S. Congress.
Hegseth praised Poland as a model for other NATO allies under an approach he calls NATO 3.0, in which Europe would take primary responsibility for its conventional defense. He said Poland is building "one of the most powerful armies in Europe." Poland is spending nearly 5 percent of its gross domestic product on defense and recently began hosting a European maintenance facility for Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles.
