Republicans criticize Pentagon over cancellation of troop deployment to Poland – Politico
Kyiv • UNN
The Pentagon canceled the deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland at the direction of Pete Hegseth. Republicans called the decision a slap in the face to NATO allies.
American Republicans have sharply criticized the Pentagon over the decision to cancel the deployment of 4,000 U.S. troops to Poland, calling it a "slap in the face" to NATO allies. This was reported by Politico, according to UNN.
The issue concerns the cancellation of a nine-month rotation of an American brigade that was scheduled to arrive in Poland from Texas.
Members of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee stated that the decision came as a surprise not only to Congress and European allies but also to the Army command itself.
"I just want to say, this is a slap in the face to Poland, it's a slap in the face to our Baltic friends. It's a slap in the face to this committee as well," said Republican Congressman Don Bacon.
Committee Chairman Mike Rogers also expressed dissatisfaction with the decision of Donald Trump's administration.
"We don't know what's going on here, but I can tell you we're not happy with what's being talked about, especially given the lack of consultation with us," he said.
During the hearing, lawmakers demanded explanations from Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll and Acting Army Chief of Staff General Christopher LaNeve.
LaNeve confirmed that the decision to cancel the deployment was made only within the last two weeks following a directive from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to reduce the American military presence in Europe.
At the same time, this contradicts the Pentagon's official statement, which claimed that the decision was not "sudden."
Congressman Austin Scott stated that the military's testimony directly contradicts the public position of the defense department.
Politico notes that some of the troops and equipment were already in Europe or en route there at the time the rotation was canceled.
The publication emphasizes that the situation has become another manifestation of the disagreements between the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress regarding the American military presence in Europe.