https://crsreports.congress.gov
Updated August 4, 2020
U.S. Military Presence in Poland
Introduction
Poland has been a major focus of U.S. and NATO efforts to
deter potential Russian aggression in Europe. This is due in
part to its geographic location on NATO’s eastern flank,
providing land access to the Baltic States. Although
Ukraine is not a NATO ally, the Russian occupation of
Ukraine’s Crimea region in 2014 and subsequent initiation
of a separatist war in eastern Ukraine underscored to many
observers that NATO allies, particularly those in Eastern
Europe, could once again be threatened by Moscow. In
response, the United States and its NATO allies have
undertaken a number of initiatives to emphasize NATO’s
collective defense agreements, thereby assuring allies of
their own security while simultaneously deterring Russian
aggression. Poland is a critical partner in these efforts.
The United States has bolstered security in Central and
Eastern Europe with an increased rotational military
presence, additional exercises and training with allies and
partners, improved infrastructure to allow greater
responsiveness, enhanced prepositioning of U.S.
equipment, and intensified efforts to build partner capacity
for newer NATO members and non-NATO countries. The
European Deterrence Initiative (EDI), launched in 2014
(originally called the European Reassurance Initiative), an
Overseas Contingency Operations account in the U.S.
defense budget, is the key fiscal mechanism by which it
does so. U.S. military operational activities of EDI are
executed as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve (OAR).
Approximately 6,000 U.S. military personnel are involved
in OAR at any given time, with units typically operating in
the region under a rotational nine-month deployment.
Current U.S. Rotational Forces in Poland
The United States has a rotational military presence in
Poland of approximately 4,500 personnel, including those
involved in OAR and NATO Missile Defense efforts, and
forces assigned to one of four NATO Enhanced Forward
Presence Battle Groups. U.S. forces in Poland include
an Army division-level Mission Command Element
(MCE) in Poznan, Poland;
elements of a rotational Army Armored Brigade Combat
Team (ABCT) and support units;
an Army Aviation Task Force;
an approximately 750-person Army Logistics Task
Force based in Poland but with logistics hubs also in
Lithuania and Romania;
a U.S. Air Force Detachment at Lask, Poland; and
a U.S. Navy Detachment in Redzikowo, Poland working
on the Aegis Ashore missile defense site as part of
NATO Missile Defense efforts.
The U.S.-led NATO Enhanced Forward Presence Battle
Group stationed in Orzysz, Poland, includes an 857-soldier
Armored Cavalry Squadron from the Vilseck, Germany-
based U.S. Army 2
nd
Cavalry Regiment. On July 29, 2020,
the Department of Defense announced that the 2
nd
Cavalry
Regiment would be returning to the United States from
Germany at an unspecified future date.
U.S.-Poland Joint Declaration
On June 12, 2019, the United States and Poland signed a
Joint Declaration on Defense Cooperation Regarding
United States Force Posture in the Republic of Poland. The
declaration proposed adding an additional 1,000 U.S.
rotational military personnel and establishing the following:
an Army Division Headquarters (Forward). This could
build on the existing Mission Command Element by
adding staff and command, control, communications,
and intelligence, and planning capabilities;
a joint U.S./Polish Combat Training Center (CTC) in
Drawsko Pomorskie and other locations in Poland;
a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Intelligence, Surveillance, and
Reconnaissance Squadron to share information, as
appropriate, with Poland;
an Aerial Port of Debarkation (APOD) to support the
movement of forces for training or contingency
operations;
an Army Area Support Group (ASG) to provide
maintenance and supply support to current and future
U.S. forces in Poland;
a U.S. special operations forces capability in Poland to
support air, ground, and maritime operations. It is
unclear if this capability is intended to be for command
and control and planning purposes only, an actual
operational capability, or a combination of both; and
infrastructure to support the presence of an Army
ABCT, an Army Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB), and
an Army Combat Sustainment Support Battalion.
Implementing this initiative is contingent upon the signing
of a formal bilateral Defense Cooperation Agreement; the
two sides reportedly finalized the text at the end of July
2020 and are expected to officially sign the agreement on
August 15, 2020. As part of the agreement, Poland has
reportedly pledged to fund the construction of infrastructure
and other logistical support for U.S. troops in the country.
July 2020 U.S. European Command
(USEUCOM) Force Posture
Announcement
On July 29, 2020, U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper
announced a series of USEUCOM force posture changes
