The canceled troop movement was confirmed by the Pentagon during a hearing in the U.S. House of Representatives, but the background to the decision has not been clearly communicated internally, according to military sources who spoke to the AP.
The deployment of the force was abruptly halted after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth signed a memo to move a brigade out of Europe, two U.S. officials told the AP. The order also led to the cancellation of an upcoming deployment to Germany, they said.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Friday that he had received assurances that the decisions were of a "logistical nature" and did not directly affect security in the country, reports public service broadcaster Polskie Radio.
The Pentagon announced in early May that 5,000 troops would be leaving Germany. Following the Pentagon's announcement, President Donald Trump said there would be significantly more than that.
According to The New York Times, the U.S. currently has 7,400 troops in Poland. It is unclear whether the 4,000 being stopped would replace any of them.
The move has been criticized by both Republican and Democratic members of the House of Representatives.
