A pair of Republican congressmen are voicing their frustrations with the Pentagon’s communication following a decision not to send thousands of U.S. troops to Poland.
In a post to X on Thursday, Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell said, quoting acting Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez, “The decision to withdraw troops follows a comprehensive, multilayered process that incorporates perspectives from key leaders in EUCOM and across the chain of command. This was not an unexpected, last-minute decision, and it would be false to report it as such.”
In response, Republican Congressman Don Bacon of Nebraska called it “baloney.”
“For starters Poland was not notified,” Bacon said on X Friday. “Senior leaders contacted me yesterday saying they were blindsided. And… I’ve learned EUCOM did NOT say there was minimal risk by cancelling the deployment. This was a foolish and embarrassing course of events.”
When reached for comment about the Republican pushback, the Pentagon on Friday sent Newsweek Valdez’s previous statement.
What To Know
During a House Armed Service Committee meeting on Friday with Army officials, Bacon said, “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,” according to Politico, adding, “It’s a slap to the face of this committee.”
Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers, GOP representative from Alabama, said during the hearing: “We don’t know what’s going on here, but I can just tell you we’re not happy with what’s being talked about, particularly since there’s been no statutory consultation with us,” Politico also reported.
Representative Austin Scott, a Georgia Republican also said, “These are major decisions that appear to many of the members of this committee to be last-minute decisions,” according to Punchbowl News reporter Briana Reilly on X.
Rajan Menon, professor emeritus of International Relations at the City College of New York, told Newsweek in an email on Friday night: “My view, which I’ve stated in writing more than once, is that the Europeans should use their considerable economic and technological resources to drastically reduce their decades-long dependence on American military protection. That will not be easy, but for the first time since the formation of NATO, Europe is taking major steps to gain more autonomy in defense. That is the larger issue here: the rest is the usual noise of our incessant news cycle.”
US Troops En Route to Poland Halted
More than 4,000 U.S. troops en route to Europe were stopped amid a scheduled rotation, an official with knowledge of the matter told Newsweek earlier.
The troops, members of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, had already left for the NATO ally from their home base in Texas, the official said.
President Donald Trump expanded his threat of removing U.S. troops in Europe to Spain and Italy last month, after saying he was reviewing their presence in Germany.
The president previously said that the United States was “studying and reviewing” a possible reduction of U.S. troops in Germany, and has now opened that up to the other two nations, telling reporters, “Why shouldn’t I?”
In a post to Truth Social at the end of last month, Trump said, “The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
Earlier this month, the Pentagon followed Trump’s remarks and said that over the course of six to 12 months, the U.S. will withdraw about 5,000 troops from Germany, the Associated Press reports.
Trump’s remarks come after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz voiced concern over the administration’s handling of Iran and ongoing negotiations tied to the Strait of Hormuz.
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