Jo Harper
18 June 2026•Update: 18 June 2026
The United States is open to discussing the permanent stationing of American troops in Poland, Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Thursday.
Speaking after talks with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of a NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels, Kosiniak-Kamysz said Washington had formally responded to Poland's recent offer to host a permanent US military base.
Quoting from a letter sent by the Pentagon, the Polish defense minister said the US Department of Defense regarded Poland as a "model ally" because of its defense spending and contribution to NATO security.
"The US National Defense Strategy clearly states that the Department of Defense will prioritize engagement with model allies such as Poland, which are doing their part in allied defense," Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
"In this spirit, I am pleased to inform you that the Department of Defense is open to Poland's offer regarding the permanent stationing of US forces on its territory, although any final decision will depend on the details of such an agreement," he quoted the letter as saying.
The proposal comes amid growing concerns among NATO allies about Russia's military positioning and the future security architecture of Eastern Europe, with Poland positioning itself as one of Washington's closest partners on the continent.
The minister said Poland and the United States had agreed to conduct a detailed analysis of the proposal and that he had been authorized by Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government to coordinate negotiations with the American side.
"This is a major operation," Kosiniak-Kamysz said. "Any location in Poland for a permanent US base would be a good location."
He stressed that establishing a permanent US base would require cooperation among the government, the president's office and parliament, as well as significant financial commitments from Poland.
"On this issue, we are all playing on the same team: the president, the government and all Poles," he said. "This is a strategic national interest and a matter of state."
While thousands of American troops are already deployed in Poland on a rotational basis, Warsaw has long sought a permanent installation that would symbolize Washington's enduring commitment to NATO's eastern flank.
US forces currently maintain a substantial presence in locations including Poznan, where the forward headquarters of the US Army V Corps is based, and several other military facilities across western and eastern Poland.
