Whitaker said on X that Poland will spend nearly 5% of GDP on defence this year, following the 2025 Hague commitment, and called it a leader among allies.
Forsal reported an estimated construction cost of 11 to 17 billion zloty for a base that could house about 5,000 US soldiers, with operations possibly starting in 2029.
The strategic review of US forces in Europe goes to Pete Hegseth in early November and to Trump in early December, when Deputy Minister Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka expects a decision.
Matthew Whitaker, the US ambassador to NATO, wrote on X on the evening of Wednesday, 14 October, that Poland ranks among the alliance's leaders in defence spending. He said Poland will spend nearly 5% of GDP on defence this year, following the commitment made at the Hague summit in 2025. Earlier that week he described meetings with the head of Polish diplomacy, Radosław Sikorski, and the minister of national defence, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, as productive.
On Monday, 12 October, during a panel on the NATO 3.0 concept at the Warsaw Security Forum, Whitaker called Warsaw a draft horse for the region. He went further and argued that Poland is ahead of the rest of the continent in showing how defence should be done.
“I believe Poland is certainly leading across all of Europe, showing how it should be done.”
Whitaker pointed to the national security and national defence strategies announced by Donald Trump, which rank US priorities in order: the homeland first, the Western Hemisphere second, the Pacific third and Europe fourth. He said this is how Washington now approaches its own security needs and those of its allies. He added that the United States is not taking a step back and asked Europeans to step forward, match the investment the US has made over the past 77 years, and prove the credibility of their capabilities.
Asked about the ongoing review of American forces in Europe, Whitaker declined to draw conclusions, saying the review is not yet ready. Under the America First approach, he said, foreign policy will weigh US interests above all. He described European allies as acting in step with Washington, which he called good news but a daily challenge.
On Tuesday, 13 October, Trump told reporters that Poland wants to build a base and that Poland would pay for it, while stating that he would wait and see. Forsal reported that the estimated cost of the base is 11 to 17 billion zloty, and Rzeczpospolita established that the facility could house about 5,000 American soldiers. The base would be a permanent presence, unlike the current rotations of roughly nine months without families.
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Deputy Minister of National Defence Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka told RMF FM on 14 October that Poland is prepared to pay. She said the Polish government is working with the US side, which has a team and a special envoy, and that the location has not been set. Operations could begin as early as 2029.
“Security costs money. We are ready to pay for this base.”
The strategic review of American forces in Europe is due to deliver its results to Pete Hegseth in early November and to Trump in early December, when Sobkowiak-Czarnecka expects a decision. She said that a presidential signature would close a process that is under way today.
“President Trump's signature is the end of the entire process that is under way today.”
She added that Polish officials are preparing legislation and that the Americans have already looked at potential sites. She said she spoke with the NATO commander in Europe, General Alexus Grynkewich, who she believes views the project optimistically, so the matter should be settled within a few months.
RMF24 reported that about 10,000 allied soldiers are currently stationed in Poland, most of them American. Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said she would not be surprised if the Americans reduced their presence on the continent somewhat, but she does not expect Poland's part of it to be affected. She also acknowledged delays in deliveries of HIMARS and Patriot missiles, which she linked to US production problems and stockpiles that the war in Iran has depleted. The delays run to several or a dozen-odd months, and Poland is pressing for as high a place in the queue as possible.
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Matthew Whitaker wrote on X that Poland spends nearly 5% of GDP on defence this year, while a decision on a permanent American base in Poland is expected in early December.
AI text based on reports by Rzeczpospolita, polsatnews.pl, TVP Info and other publishers. Changed .