--- title: Pentagon Considers Permanent 'Fort Trump' Base in Poland description: The Trump Administration is considering a new permanent military base overseas in Poland. canonical: https://time.com/5551061/poland-military-base-fort-trump/ author: W.J. Hennigan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-03-14T01:52:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:52:53.768Z article:section: Politics og:title: Fort Trump? The Pentagon Takes a Step Toward Establishing Base in Poland og:description: The Polish president floated the name in talks with Trump og:url: https://time.com/5551061/poland-military-base-fort-trump/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcf9d17ba3f5b637d/6988d49c86f68e47696e5730/gettyimages-809549540.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3942 og:image:height: 2217 og:image:alt: POLAND-US-TRUMP-G20 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Fort Trump? The Pentagon Takes a Step Toward Establishing Base in Poland twitter:description: The Polish president floated the name in talks with Trump twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcf9d17ba3f5b637d/6988d49c86f68e47696e5730/gettyimages-809549540.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Fort Trump? The Pentagon Takes a Step Toward Establishing Base in Poland > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: 'NATO Is Much Stronger Now': Trump Claims Victory After Contentious Summit [Watch (HLS stream): 'NATO Is Much Stronger Now': Trump Claims Victory After Contentious Summit](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/mHWuzoXm.m3u8) (2:55)  _Published 2018-07-12. As a contentious North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Brussels began to wind down on Thursday, President Donald Trump claimed victory over defense spending and reaffirmed U.S. commitment to the alliance._  by [W.J. Hennigan](https://time.com/author/w-j-hennigan/)  ## W.J. Hennigan Mar 14, 2019 1:52 AM UTC  Polish President Andrzej Duda (R) and US President Donald Trump shake hands prior to a meeting at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, Poland, July 6, 2017. Polish President Andrzej Duda (R) and US President Donald Trump shake hands prior to a meeting at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, Poland, July 6, 2017. SAUL LOEB—AFP/Getty Images  by [W.J. Hennigan](https://time.com/author/w-j-hennigan/)  ## W.J. Hennigan Mar 14, 2019 1:52 AM UTC The Trump Administration has drawn criticism for considering U.S. troop withdrawals from Afghanistan and Syria, but it’s considering at least one new permanent military base overseas. It even has a suggested name: [“Fort Trump.”](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-president-duda-republic-poland-joint-press-conference/) Under Secretary of Defense for Policy John Rood is in Warsaw, Poland this week to discuss the proposed base, which would boost the Pentagon’s presence along Russia’s western border. The negotiations take place as Washington’s and Moscow’s militaries already face off in close proximity at several flashpoints in places like Syria and across eastern Europe. The U.S. currently maintains about 4,000 troops in Poland on a rotational basis, including an armored brigade combat team. The deployment started after Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 as part of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) mission to establish a bulwark against Russian aggression on the alliance’s eastern flank. Poland welcomed the deployment but has long urged the U.S. to establish something more permanent. Polish President Andrzej Duda floated the idea for a new, permanent military base to President Donald Trump in-person during a trip to Washington in September. [His selling points?](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-president-duda-republic-poland-joint-press-conference/) The Polish government would pay $2 billion to the United States and, he joked, the base would be named “Fort Trump.” Trump put off a decision at the time, saying he wanted his administration to examine the proposal. “We’re looking at it from the standpoint of, No. 1, military protection for both countries, and also cost,” Trump said at a joint press conference with Duda. The Pentagon, directed by last year’s Defense spending bill, studied the feasibility of permanently stationing U.S. forces in Poland. The report, which was due to Congress on March 1, was designed to inform the Pentagon’s plan ahead. “We have come forward with what we think is a very serious robust offer and we’re just working out some of the technicalities this very week,” Kathryn Wheelbarger, the acting assistant defense secretary for international security affairs, [told a House panel on Wednesday](https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings?ID=E61FE0EA-AE2A-4727-9EF5-D59FEE56853C). “We hope to have a solid foundation to work from, coming out of this meeting.” If Poland agrees to the terms, the State Department would be the lead negotiator for the technical agreement on the facility, Wheelbarger said. “We are looking at probably six months to a year for that to be finalized,” she added. Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti, who commands all U.S. and NATO forces in Europe, said at the same hearing that he supported having a mix of permanent troops and rotational forces in Poland. “A more permanent base is helpful because of the relationships you build and the mission they have,” he said. The establishment of a new base in Poland — regardless of whether it’s actually named Fort Trump — would be a positive sign for NATO, which has had a tumultuous relationship with Trump and his isolationist “America First” foreign policy. In July, [the president insulted allies and questioned the value](http://time.com/5336581/trump-nato-victory-spending/) of NATO at alliance headquarters in Brussels. Poland, which was caught behind the Iron Curtain after WWII, was granted NATO membership in 1999, and brought into the European Union in 2004. Defense hawks have repeatedly called on the United States to take a more active role against Russia, particularly in Eastern Europe, as the relationship between the two nations has deteriorated. The Atlantic Council, a Washington non-profit,[ issued a 16-page report in December](https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/images/publications/Permanent-Deterrence-Enhancements-to-the-US-Military-Presence-in-North-Central-Europe.pdf) that the U.S. needed to bolster its defense posture on the European continent. It was written by Philip Breedlove, retired U.S. Air Force general who commanded all NATO forces in Europe, and Alexander Vershbow, a former NATO deputy secretary general. “While the NATO battle groups and the U.S. rotational brigade combat team both have warfighting capabilities, they lack a compre­hensive and coordinated battle plan between NATO and the United States, as well as adequate enablers — including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnais­sance assets; air and missile defense; and long-range fires,” the report said. “A determined Russian conventional attack, espe­cially if mounted with little warning, could defeat these forward-deployed NATO and U.S. forces in a relatively short period of time, before reinforcements could be brought to bear.” The conversation about expanding U.S. presence overseas takes place l[ess than a week after a Bloomberg report](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-08/trump-said-to-seek-huge-premium-from-allies-hosting-u-s-troops) that said the Trump Administration wants any country that hosts U.S. troops on their soil to pay the full price of those soldiers’ deployment, plus 50 percent premium for their services. Rep. Adam Smith, a Democrat from Washington state who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, called the idea “a monumentally stupid approach” at Wednesday’s hearing. Wheelbarger replied that she wasn’t sure that if the proposal, colloquially known as “cost-plus-50,” was a real Administration policy. And even if it was, it wouldn’t pertain to the base in Poland. “My understanding is that rhetoric came from conversations from the Pacific,” she said. “It’s not a conversation we’ve had in my portfolio at all.” ## Transcript Thank you very much everybody. I've appreciated. We've had a very amazing today period in Brussels and we really accomplished a lot with respect to NATO. For years president have been coming to these meetings and talked about the expense the tremendous expense to the United States and Tremendous progress has been made, everyone's agreed to substantially up their commitment. They're going to up it at levels that they've never thought of before and the United States commitment to NATO is very strong, remains very strong, but primarily because everyone, the spirit they have The amount of money they're willing to spend. The additional money that they will be putting up has been really amazing to see it. To see the level of spirit in that room is incredible. And I hope that we're going to be able to get along with Russia. I think that we probably will be able to. The people in the room think so, but they nevertheless, they really stepped up their commitment. Can you tell us whether or not you've warned people that the US would pull out of NATO if they weren't meeting their spending goals? I told people that I'd be very unhappy if they didn't up their commitments very substantially because the United States has Been paying a tremendous amount, probably 90 % of the costs of NATO. And now people are going to start, and countries are going to start upping their commitments. So I let them know yesterday actually, I was surprised that you didn't pick it up, it took until today. But yesterday, I let them know that I was extremely unhappy With what was happening. And then today and yesterday I was probably a little bit more firm. But I believe in NATO, I think NATO's a very important, probably the greatest ever done, but the United States was paying for, Anywhere from 70 to 90 % of it depending on the way you calculate, that's not fair to the United States. There are critics that say by creating this scene here at NATO, you're only enabling President Putin in Russia to further disturb things in Ukraine and Georgia. Well, if you consider putting up tremendously You know the additional funds at a level nobody's ever seen before. I don't think that's helping Russia. Are you still threatening to potentially pull the United States out of NATO for any reason and do you believe you can do that without Congress' explicit support and approval? I think I probably can, but that's unnecessary. And the people have stepped up today like they've never stepped up before. And remember, the word $ 33 billion more they're paying. And you'll hear that from the Secretary General in a little while. He thanked me actually. He actually thanked me. And everybody in the room Thank me. There is a great [ INAUDIBLE ] spirit in that room that I don't think they've had in many years. They're very strong. So yeah, very unified, very strong, no problem, right? We're in NATO, no no, okay. No problem. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5551061/poland-military-base-fort-trump/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5551061/poland-military-base-fort-trump/"},"headline":"Fort Trump? 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