NATO eastern flank countries want to reduce spending on US bases
A number of NATO eastern flank countries are considering revising the costs associated with the deployment of American troops and military infrastructure. At the same time, the countries of the region do not want a reduction in the US presence — on the contrary, changing the financial model is seen as part of negotiations with the Donald Trump administration on maintaining American forces in Europe.
This is reported by Business Insider Polska with reference to Bloomberg.
The countries of the region traditionally bear part of the costs of deploying American units — from providing military infrastructure to fuel, logistics, facility maintenance and other expenses. Now, amid Washington's review of its military presence in Europe, the possibility of changing the distribution of these costs is being discussed.
The main goal of Eastern European allies in this is not economising as such, but preserving American troops. For Poland, the Baltic states and other countries near Russia, the presence of the US military remains one of the key elements of deterrence.
US is revising its presence in Europe
The Trump administration consistently demands that European allies take on greater responsibility for their own defence. The Pentagon has already begun to reduce part of the American contingent in Europe and is reviewing its further deployment.
In May, the US announced a reduction of several thousand servicemen in Europe, including abandoning the planned rotation of an armoured brigade to Poland. At the same time, the American command stated that there are no immediate plans for further large-scale reduction of the contingent.
Currently, there are about 75,000 American military personnel in Europe. The Eastern European countries are trying to convince Washington that the region bordering Russia and Belarus should remain a priority in the further redistribution of forces.
An additional factor was that the US began to assess the contribution of individual allies to NATO's overall defence. Washington sent questions to alliance countries about support for American foreign policy, the terms of use of military bases, and purchases of weapons from American manufacturers.
Poland spends more than half a billion zlotys on the American contingent
One of the largest centres of the US Army's presence on the eastern flank remains Poland. Several thousand American servicemen are stationed in the country, the forward headquarters of the US Army's V Corps operates, and infrastructure has been created for storing equipment and supporting force deployment.
According to data previously cited by Polish authorities, Warsaw's costs of supporting the American contingent amount to about 15,000 dollars per serviceman per year. With a contingent of about 10,000 people, this corresponds to approximately 550 million zlotys annually.
Poland provides American forces with infrastructure, part of the fuel, logistical support and other services. At the same time, the US finances its own weapons, training of personnel, movement of units and a significant part of the operation of its forces.
Warsaw is simultaneously negotiating with Washington on turning part of the current rotational American presence into a permanent one. Therefore, a possible revision of spending is considered within the broader context of negotiations on the terms under which the US will maintain troops on NATO's eastern flank.
Despite the discussion about funding bases, the countries of the region continue to sharply increase their own defence budgets. Poland remains one of NATO's leaders in the share of military spending in GDP, and the Baltic states are also among the alliance countries with the highest defence spending.
