US President Donald Trump on Thursday said the United States was making progress towards establishing a permanent Army base in Poland, signalling a potentially significant expansion of the American military presence on NATO’s eastern flank.Trump attributed the progress to what he called the “bold leadership” of Polish President Karol Nawrocki. In a post on Truth Social, he said the location of the proposed base could be announced soon. “GREAT NEWS! Thanks to the bold leadership of my friend, Karol Nawrocki, President of Poland, major progress is being made toward establishing a U.S. Army base in Poland,” Trump posted.“If this happens, the location will be announced very soon. This will be a historic step for our Great US/Polish Alliance,” he added.Poland has sought a larger and more permanent presence of allied forces on Nato’s eastern flank since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Warsaw has argued that a stronger US military footprint would bolster deterrence and strengthen the alliance’s eastern defences.The prospect of a permanent US base had gained momentum earlier this year. Polish defence minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said in June that the US Department of Defense was receptive to Poland’s proposal to host a permanent American military presence, although he stressed that no final decision had been made at the time.Kosiniak-Kamysz made the comments after meeting US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in Brussels. During the same period, Hegseth announced a review of US troop deployments across Europe, potentially opening the door to changes in the American military footprint on the continent.The United States already has troops stationed in Poland, but they have so far been deployed on a rotational basis rather than as part of a permanent US base.
