Europe
Poland says Pentagon gave “green light” for a permanent U.S. base, with the White House decision due in December
Defence Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz says the Pentagon backs a permanent U.S. base in Poland after talks with Hegseth; Washington has not confirmed and a decision is expected in early December.
Poland says it has received a positive signal from the Pentagon on a permanent U.S. military base on its territory, but the decision has not been taken. Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz made the claim after talks in Washington on 10 November with U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, saying the final word rests with the White House and is expected in early December.
What was said at the Pentagon
The U.S. Department of War said Hegseth hosted Kosiniak-Kamysz, who is also Poland’s deputy prime minister, for a bilateral meeting at the Pentagon, and that the two announced an intent to boost military cooperation.
On the base, Kosiniak-Kamysz said on X that Poland had received the Pentagon’s “green light”, according to Ukraine’s national news agency Ukrinform. He also said a review of U.S. forces in Europe was close to completion and that matters were moving in a positive direction.
Kosiniak-Kamysz pointed to Poland’s higher defence spending and its growing work with American industry, including a PAC-3 missile maintenance facility hosted in the country, a project covered in our report PAC-3 maintenance centre in Poland: the US Department of War and Lockheed Martin choose the country for Patriot missiles in Europe. He also said Warsaw wants equipment produced under Polish-American industrial partnerships to be eligible for EU funding.
How the idea developed
The proposal is not new. In June, after talks with Hegseth in Brussels, Kosiniak-Kamysz told the Warsaw Defence Fair that Washington had approved the start of detailed negotiations, saying: “The final decision will be in the agreement.” At the time he described the process as having advanced quickly over recent weeks. A permanent base would replace the rotational deployments of American troops that Poland hosts today.
Poland argues that its position on NATO’s eastern flank, bordering Ukraine and Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, makes it central to the alliance’s security. The same theme runs through Warsaw’s recent defence agreements, including the one covered in UK and Poland agree the Warsaw Defence Plan on air defence, drones, frigates and Baltic Sea security.
What happens next
No U.S. decision has been announced. According to Kosiniak-Kamysz, it is expected in early December, after the administration’s review of U.S. force posture in Europe concludes. Until then, the statements on a permanent base come from the Polish side, with the U.S. readout not announcing an approval.
