US Army abruptly cancels deployment of 4,000 soldiers to Poland

The U.S. Army has canceled the deployment of the 2 nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1 st Cavalry Division — more than 4,000 soldiers and associated equipment — to Poland.

An Army official confirmed the decision Wednesday but did not provide details and referred all questions to the Defense Department, which did not respond to a request for information.

During a congressional hearing Tuesday on the Army’s budget posture, neither Army Secretary Dan Driscoll nor Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the Army vice chief of staff, mentioned the deployment cancellation.

But word already had started spreading early Tuesday morning among those affected, with soldiers texting friends and loved ones about the change.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said during his opening statement in the hearing that the Army faces a budget shortfall of at least $2 billion as a result of extended operations that include deployments of the Army National Guard to Washington, D.C., and units to participate in U.S. border control.

Reed wondered what the impact was on training and operations but the topic was not addressed.

According to ABC News, the Army budget shortfall is significantly larger than Reed’s estimate. In the report, Army officials told the outlet the amount actually is between $4 billion and $6 billion.

The Pentagon announced in April that it planned to withdraw roughly 5,000 troops from Germany . Defense Department spokesperson Sean Parnell said that Secretary Pete Hegseth made the decision after reviewing “theater requirements and conditions on the ground.”

The move would bring U.S. troops levels in Europe to pre-2022 levels, before Russia invaded Ukraine and started a war that has killed more than 43,000 Ukrainian troops and at least 100,000 Russian service members, according to Every Casualty Counts, a British-based non-governmental organization that tracks conflict deaths.

More than 10,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Poland on rotation. The “Black Jack” brigade was expected to deploy for nine months. The Stars and Stripes reported that the Fort Hood, Texas-based tank brigade cased its colors May 1 in preparation for the deployment.

Portions of the 2 nd Armored Brigade Combat Team advanced echelon are already in Poland and equipment is in transit, according to the deployment plan.

Army officials from Fort Hood and U.S. Army Headquarters referred all questions to DoD, which declined to comment.

“We have no comment on this at this time,” the Pentagon press office wrote in an email to Army Times.

This is a developing news story. It will be updated as more information is made available.

Patricia Kime is a senior writer covering military and veterans health care, medicine and personnel issues.

美国陆军取消了向波兰部署第1骑兵师第2装甲旅战斗队（超过4000名士兵及相关装备）的计划。

一名陆军官员周三证实了这一决定，但没有提供细节，并将所有问题都转给了国防部，而国防部没有回应信息请求。

周二国会就陆军预算状况举行的听证会上，陆军部长丹·德里斯科尔和陆军副参谋长克里斯托弗·拉内夫将军都没有提及部署取消一事。

但周二清晨，受影响的人群中已经开始传开这一消息，士兵们纷纷通过短信向朋友和亲人告知这一变化。

参议院军事委员会资深成员杰克·里德参议员在听证会的开幕致辞中表示，由于包括向华盛顿特区部署陆军国民警卫队和参与美国边境管制的部队在内的长期行动，陆军面临至少 20 亿美元的预算缺口。

里德想知道这会对训练和作战造成什么影响，但这个问题没有得到讨论。

据美国广播公司新闻报道，陆军预算缺口远超里德的估计。报道中，陆军官员告诉该媒体，实际缺口金额在40亿至60亿美元之间。

五角大楼在四月份宣布计划从德国撤出约5000名士兵。国防部发言人肖恩·帕内尔表示，国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯在审查了“战区需求和实地情况”后做出了这一决定。

此举将使美国在欧洲的驻军人数恢复到 2022 年之前的水平，也就是俄罗斯入侵乌克兰并发动战争之前的水平。据总部位于英国的非政府组织“人人有伤亡”（Every Casualty Counts）统计，这场战争已造成超过 43,000 名乌克兰士兵和至少 100,000 名俄罗斯军人丧生。该组织专门追踪冲突中的死亡人数。

超过1万名美军士兵轮流驻扎在波兰。“黑杰克”旅预计将部署九个月。《星条旗报》报道称，这支驻扎在德克萨斯州胡德堡的坦克旅于5月1日收起军旗，为部署做准备。

根据部署计划，第2装甲旅战斗队的先遣队部分人员已经抵达波兰，装备正在运输途中。

胡德堡和美国陆军总部的陆军官员将所有问题都转给了国防部，但国防部拒绝置评。

五角大楼新闻办公室在给《陆军时报》的电子邮件中写道：“目前我们对此不予置评。”

这是一则正在更新的新闻。我们将根据最新信息进行报道。

Patricia Kime 是一位资深撰稿人，主要报道军事和退伍军人的医疗保健、医药和人事问题。