Poland expects decision on permanent US military base by year-end

Poland expects a decision on a new permanent US military base in the country by the end of the year, after Washington completes a review of its forces in Europe, the Polish deputy defense minister said.

Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka told reporters in Washington on Wednesday that the US review was expected to conclude in November or December, according to TVP World.

“The final decision, of course, belongs to (US) President (Donald) Trump, and we keep repeating that,” she said.

Poland has drawn up a shortlist of potential sites for the base, Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said, without identifying them.

Marcin Przydacz, head of Polish President Karol Nawrocki’s International Policy Bureau, said a decision had already been reached at the political level, pending confirmation by Trump. Polish defense officials would then work to turn that commitment into concrete arrangements, he said.

US Undersecretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby, who is overseeing the force review, said Washington was “actively working” to strengthen its presence in Poland, according to the report.

Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said a separate decision on Poland’s bid to host a European service center for PAC-3 missiles used by Patriot air defense systems could come within days. Poland says servicing the missiles domestically could reduce repair times from more than a year to several months.