A Permanent US Military Base in Poland Could Soon Become Reality

In the midst of a posture review of US forces in Europe directed by Secretary Hegseth, as well as a reduction in forces in Germany, US forces may be opening enduring bases in Poland and perhaps Lithuania, maybe as soon as next year.

What the Presidents Said

Both Poland and Lithuania are seeking an enduring US presence in their countries.

In his September 17 post on Truth Social, President Trump announced “major progress” in establishing an enduring presence for US forces in Poland. Trump noted that the location would be announced “very soon” and was a “historic step for our Great US/Polish Alliance.” Five days later, during an interview with Bloomberg TV, posted on Twitter, Polish President Karol Nawrocki confirmed that “the preparation of infrastructure is going on” for a US base. When asked about what remains, Nawrocki noted: "administrative issues, financial issues are still there.” Still, Nawrocki was confident the base would be completed and US forces deployed.

Poland’s Deputy Defense Minister Stanislaw Wziatek was similarly optimistic, telling a journalist from Polish radio station RMF FM,

“I am convinced that President Donald Trump will want to do everything he can so that a decision like this...can be made before the elections.”

Meanwhile, in a September 30 interview with Bloomberg, Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius commented that he had discussed an enduring presence for US forces in his country, and that Lithuania was willing to fund the effort.

Sinkevicius noted that he had discussed the matter with US Special Envoy for Minsk John Coale recently.

Trump responded on October 4, saying, “They are friends of mine, they are great people, so we will certainly look at it.”

The US currently maintains a rotational armored battalion as part of the German-led NATO mission there.

Permanent Basing in Eastern Europe

The idea for an enduring US presence traces its roots to the Obama Administration. In 2014, the US deployed 4,000 troops to Poland on a rotational basis as a response to the Russian invasion of Crimea in February of that year. The contingent was and remains part of NATO’s rotational forces in Eastern Europe. NATO currently maintains nine multinational Forward Land Forces (FLF) Battle Groups along the eastern flank to deter Russian aggression. The United States leads the FLF in Poland and maintains a brigade combat team there on a rotational deployment.

During his visit to the White House in September 2018, then-President of Poland Andrzej Duda publicly broached the idea of an enduring presence of US troops on Polish soil. At a press conference during that visit, Duda said,

“I would very much like for us to set up permanent American bases in Poland, which we would call 'Fort Trump.'

And I firmly believe that this is possible. I am convinced that such a decision lies both in the Polish interest as well as in the interest of the United States.”

At the time, President Trump was noncommittal.

However, the wheels at both the Pentagon and Capitol Hill began turning. In March 2019, the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy John Rood visited Warsaw to discuss details of the project. Among other things, he discouraged the Poles from using the term “Fort Trump” as it was seen as a lightning rod for criticism. The Fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act directed the Defense and State Departments to submit a report on the “feasibility and advisability of permanently stationing United States forces in the Republic of Poland” (Section 1280).

While there is no signed agreement yet, the momentum toward a permanent US base in Poland looks inevitable. On June 3, Poland formally requested a permanent base, and every indication is that the US is ready to accept. A permanent base will cost upwards of $4.2 billion and be almost entirely funded by Poland.

European Force Posture on the Radar

The US has had forces in Poland for some time already. About 10,000 rotational troops are stationed in Poland, including the headquarters of V Corps (Forward) stationed in Poznań. In addition to ground forces, Poland also hosts US air defense and missile defense forces, aviation assets, and logistics units.

Lithuania hosted US forces from 2019 until June 2026. An armored battalion and engineer battalion are scheduled to arrive at the end of October for a nine-month rotation as part of the NATO Battle Group Lithuania. In addition to the ordinary costs of hosting US forces like utilities and ancillary support, Lithuania funded the roughly $300 million training center and barracks, which opened on Thanksgiving Day 2025.

All of this is happening in the shadow of a European force posture review ordered by Secretary Hegseth, and adjustments to European deployments this past year. The removal of 5,000 soldiers from Germany and the canceled deployment of another 4,000 soldiers destined for Poland represent a small percentage of the 80,000 troops already deployed in Europe.

NATO leaders commented that the force posture decisions caused some uncertainty in European capitals, which was caused less by the numbers than by the abruptness of the decisions in Washington and lack of consultation with allies. Nonetheless, allies played down the disruption in deployments, with Polish Defense Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz remarking that the cancellation of the brigade to their country, “does not concern Poland.” German Defense Minister Pistorius called the withdrawal “anticipated,” noting that there are still 30,000 American troops hosted in his country.

Amid all this, discussion of a permanent presence in Poland and another potential permanent base in Lithuania reinforces US commitment to Europe at a time when Trump and others have called that into question.

What a Permanent Base Means to Military Families

Deputy Defense Minister Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka commented during a Sept 28 interview on Poland’s TVN24 that she expected the new base to

"accommodate approximately 5,000 American soldiers and their families.”

Assuming the DoD made those tours accompanied, a permanent change of station to Poland would look the same as any other European assignment. There is already a US Army Garrison Poland, so there is a unit and organization in place to care for the installation and assigned Soldiers and families.

Base locations are not known, but speculation is that the base will be in western Poland. This would put travel time to Landstuhl, the big exchanges, and the main European travel hub at a long day by car or train, or a short plane trip. The Poles are friendly and welcoming, and have one of the strongest economies in Europe, making it a modern and affordable place to live.

An Announcement Is Likely in January

With Hegseth’s European force posture review due to him by November 1 and to the president by December 1, expect any announcement on a permanent base in Poland to occur after that.

Late January or early February is more likely, as the President’s Budget is due to Congress in January. Any announcement on Lithuania is likely months away at best.