The new U.S. Army garrison in Poland will be the first permanent U.S. army garrison in Poland and the eighth such garrison in Europe. There are currently five U.S. garrisons stationed in Germany and one each in Italy and Belgium. Up until now, Poland was the location for a regional unit, known as Area Support Group Poland (ASG-P). Such units also exist in Romania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Kosovo.
Poland’s defense ministry noted that the garrison was being set up after a decision taken by President Joe Biden in 2022. The garrison will be involved in logistical and infrastructure support for U.S. troops stationed in Poland. It will also manage the U.S. military’s outposts in the country.
At the beginning of March, the Pentagon revealed that the first U.S. troops to be permanently assigned to Poland as part of the headquarters of the U.S. Army’s 5th Corps had arrived in Poznań at a base called Camp Kościuszko. That headquarters was established in Poznań as a result of decisions taken at NATO’s Madrid summit in June 2022.
Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak attended the opening ceremony of the garrison on Tuesday, which he described as an “important event in the history of Poland and in the history of Polish-American relations.” He pointed to the fact that since July last year, the base’s name is “Camp Kościuszko.”
“Kościuszko was a hero of two nations in the fight for Polish independence and the struggle for the independence of the U.S. in the 18th century,” said Błaszczak.
Poland’s defense minister said that Poland was grateful for the permanent presence of U.S. troops in the country, especially at a time of Russian aggression in Ukraine. He added that it was important for the West to stay united and secure. He said it feels secure when “our armed forces are working with each other, and an example of such cooperation is the opening of the U.S. garrison in Poznań.”
