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Congressional Research Service
I tort rgthe legriative debate since 1914


August 1, 2019


U.S. Military Presence in Poland

Introduction
Poland has been a major focus of U.S. and NATO efforts to
deter potential Russian aggression in Europe. This is in part
due to its geographic location situated on NATO's eastern
flank, providing land access to the Baltic States. Although
Ukraine is not a NATO ally, the Russian annexation of
Crimea in 2014 and subsequent initiation of a proxy war in
Eastern Ukraine underscored to many international security
observers that NATO allies, particularly those in Eastern
Europe, could once again be threatened by Moscow. In
response, the United States and its NATO allies have
undertaken a number of initiatives to underscore NATO's
collective defense agreements, thereby assuring allies of
their own security while simultaneously deterring Russian
aggression. Poland is a critical partner in these efforts.
The United States has bolstered security in Central and
Eastern Europe with an increased rotational military
presence, additional exercises and training with allies and
partners, improved infrastructure to allow greater
responsiveness, enhanced prepositioning of U.S.
equipment, and intensified efforts to build partner capacity
for newer NATO members and other non-NATO countries.
The European Deterrence Initiative (EDI), launched in 2014
(originally called the European Reassurance Initiative), an
Overseas Contingency Operations account in the defense
budget, is the key fiscal mechanism by which it does so.
U.S. military operational activities of EDI are executed as
part of Operation Atlantic Resolve (OAR). Approximately
6,000 U.S. military personnel are involved in OAR at any
given time, with units typically operating in the region
under a rotational nine-month deployment.
A key strategic question facing policymakers in the
executive branch and Congress is whether existing efforts
are sufficient, or whether more should be done to militarily
reinforce Europe generally, and Poland specifically. This
discussion was in part prompted in 2018, when the Polish
government, which is in favor of an increased U.S. presence
on its territory, released a proposal under which it would
contribute $2 billion toward establishing a U.S. military
base in Poland.

Current U.S. Rotational Forces in Poland
As of June 2019, the United States had a rotational military
presence in Poland of approximately 4,500 personnel,
including those involved in OAR, U.S. forces involved in
NATO Missile Defense efforts, and forces assigned to one
of four NATO Enhanced Forward Presence Battle Groups.
U.S. OAR forces and NATO Missile Defense forces in
Poland include
* an Army division-level Mission Command Element
   (MCE) in Poznan, Poland;


* elements of a rotational Army Armored Brigade Combat
   Team (ABCT) and support units;
* an Army Aviation Task Force;
* an approximately 750 person Army Logistics Task
   Force based in Poland but with logistics hubs also in
   Lithuania and Romania;
* a U.S. Air Force Detachment at Lask, Poland; and
* a U.S. Navy Detachment in Redzikowo, Poland working
   on the Aegis Ashore missile defense site as part of
   NATO Missile Defense efforts.
The U.S.-led NATO Enhanced Forward Presence Battle
Group stationed in Orzysz, Poland, includes a 889-soldier
Armored Cavalry Squadron from the Vilseck, Germany-
based U.S. Army 2nd Cavalry Regiment.

U.S.-Poland Joint Declaration
On June 12, 2019, the United States and Poland signed a
Joint Declaration on Defense Cooperation Regarding
United States Force Posture in the Republic of Poland. The
declaration proposes adding an additional 1,000 U.S.
rotational military personnel. The Joint Declaration
proposes establishing the following:
* An Army Division Headquarters (Forward). This could
   build on the existing Mission Command Element by
   adding additional staff and command, control,
   communications, and intelligence, and planning
   capabilities.
* A joint U.S./Polish Combat Training Center (CTC) in
   Drawsko Pomorskie and other locations in Poland.
* A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Intelligence, Surveillance, and
   Reconnaissance Squadron to share information, as
   appropriate, with Poland.
* An Aerial Port of Debarkation (APOD) to support the
   movement of forces for training or contingency
   operations.
* An Army Area Support Group (ASG) to provide
   maintenance and supply support to current and future
   U.S. forces in Poland.
* A U.S. special operations forces capability in Poland to
   support, air, ground, and maritime operations. It is
   unclear if this capability is intended to be for command
   and control and planning purposes only, an actual
   operational capability, or a combination of both.
* Infrastructure to support the presence of an Army
   ABCT, an Army Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB), and
   an Army Combat Sustainment Support Battalion.


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