Revise and Resubmit: An Unconvincing Proposal for Permanent U.S. Troops in Poland
Michael Kofman
November 1, 2018
As I discussed in my last article on the topic, earlier this year it came to light that the Polish Ministry of National Defence had submitted a proposal to the Trump administration seeking a permanently based U.S. armored division in Poland. A recent visit to Washington, by Polish President Andrzej Duda, garnered considerable media attention, as he offered to contribute $1.5–$2 billion for construction, and even to call it “Fort Trump.†Understandably, the latter part of this offer had intrinsic appeal in a White House, but the overall reception for Poland’s idea has been mixed at best.
Oscar Wilde once wrote, “there is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.†Poland’s idea has not suffered that latter fate. While some political commentators thought it potentially a worthwhile idea, it was criticized by former U.S. Army Europe commander Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, Michael Fitzsimmons, and — more recently — myself. Michael Hunzeker and Alex Lanoszka, though equally skeptical of basing a U.S. division in Poland, have sought to make a case for why permanently basing U.S. forces in Poland might make sense in both Defense One and War on the Rocks. It has been a debate worth having, and Poland is better off for not having its proposal ignored.
https://warontherocks.com/2018/11/revise-and-resubmit-an-unconvincing-proposal-for-permanent-u-s-troops-in-poland/
