Poland is among America’s most loyal allies, a bulwark of European security, and the rare NATO nation that has escaped the wrath of President Donald Trump. But the last few weeks have left many Poles with a case of Washington-induced whiplash.

In mid-May, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth canceled the deployment of more than 4,000 soldiers to Poland. Some of those troops from the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team in Fort Hood, Texas, had already arrived.

Pressed by the House Armed Services Committee for an explanation, Army acting Chief of Staff Chris LaNeve said it “made the most sense for that brigade to not do its deployment in theater.” Committee member Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican, called the cancellation “reprehensible” and said Polish officials had called him seeking clarification. 

“They did not know, they were blindsided,” Bacon said. “These are some of our best allies, and they had no idea. They still don’t know what the plan is.”

I was in Warsaw when news of the cancellation broke, and “blindsided” did indeed seem to be the right word. Still, Polish government officials were careful not to publicly rebuke the Trump Administration; Prime Minister Donald Tusk responded by stressing Poland’s longstanding loyalty to the U.S. "You have a friend here ... you have the most loyal ally," Tusk said. "America won't ​find a better ally ​anywhere."

In the days that followed, confusion reigned. A Pentagon spokesman insisted the cancellation “was not an unexpected, last-minute decision.” Then, Vice President JD Vance said the deployment had merely been paused—“just a standard delay”—and not........

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