The US will build a permanent military base "Fort Trump" in Poland
Polish President Andrzej Duda said that if Donald Trump returns to the US presidency, the Polish-American military alliance will be strengthened, including the construction of Fort Trump.
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According to Duda, during his talks with the US Secretary of Defence, the parties discussed strengthening bilateral military cooperation and the US's future plans for NATO. He recalled that during Trump's first term, Poland signed a number of security agreements, and decisions were made to deploy the US Army's V Corps Command in the country.
"It was then that decisions were made to deploy the V Corps Command in Poland. At the time, I smiled and said that it would be a kind of Polish Fort Trump. But today, after this conversation, I can tell you without smiling that I deeply believe that Fort Trump will indeed be built," Duda said after meeting with Pentagon chief Pete Hagseth.
As early as 2018, the head of Poland's National Security Bureau, Pawel Soloch, announced his desire to deploy permanent US bases in the country. In 2020, it was agreed to increase the US military contingent from 5,000 to 7,000 and to relocate the command of the US Army's V Corps from Kentucky to Poland.
The opening ceremony of the first permanent US military base in Poland. Illustration: джерело
The first permanent US military base in Poland opened in March 2023 under the presidency of Joe Biden. During the ceremony, U.S. Ambassador Mark Brzezinski stressed that "this is a historic event" that demonstrates the long-term military presence of the United States in the country.
The meeting also discussed the defence spending of NATO member states. Duda emphasised that Poland is one of the European countries that plays a leading role in this issue. He assured that Warsaw supports the decision to increase defence spending within NATO.
Poland spends almost 5% of its GDP on defence. In 2025, it is planned to allocate 186.5 billion zlotys ($47.55 billion) for this purpose, of which $31.69 billion will come from the state budget and $15.87 billion will be provided by loans from the Armed Forces Support Fund (FWSZ).
According to Duda, the issue of increasing defence spending is being discussed at NATO headquarters in Brussels and may be brought up at the Alliance's summit in The Hague.
Source: Polsat News
