Fort Trump
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{short description|Proposed United States military base in Poland}}
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Fort Trump is a proposed United States military base in Poland. The name "Fort Trump" was initially suggested by the Polish government as a name for the facility; however, officials of the Trump administration requested a different name be considered due to concerns the proposal could be perceived as a personal vanity project for the then-president of the United States, Donald Trump, and not a serious military proposal. "Fort Trump" has continued as a colloquial description of the project, or as an unofficial stand-in name for the proposed facility.
In June 2020, Reuters reported—citing unnamed sources—that the proposal had stalled due to the Polish government's reticence in committing to a U.S. requested funding threshold, though officials of both the U.S. and Polish governments have denied the suggestion. A more modest movement of American troops to existing Polish facilities was later agreed. Critics have asserted that the proposal sought to manipulate President Trump by appealing to his perceived narcissism, and may have succeeded in obtaining favorable treatment.
Background
File:President Trump's Trip to Poland (34920988424).jpg and Melania Trump in Warsaw, July 6, 2017]]
File:Prezydent_Rzeczypospolitej_Polskiej_Andrzej_Duda.jpg (pictured).]]
The United States deployed approximately 4,000 military personnel to Poland during the final years of the presidency of Barack Obama with the stated intent of providing a tripwire force to guard against possible Russian expansion into Eastern Europe.{{cite magazine |last1=Hennigan |first1=W. J. |title=Fort Trump? The Pentagon Takes a Step Toward Establishing Base in Poland |url=https://time.com/5551061/poland-military-base-fort-trump/ |access-date=June 28, 2020 |magazine=Time |date=March 13, 2019 |archive-date=June 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200615003728/https://time.com/5551061/poland-military-base-fort-trump/ |url-status=live }} In September 2018, president of Poland, Andrzej Duda visited Washington, D.C. to meet Donald Trump, where he first publicly broached the idea of an expanded American presence in the country.{{cite news |last1=Cowell |first1=Alan |title=Fort Trump? Poland Makes a Play for a U.S. Military Base |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/19/world/europe/poland-fort-trump.html |access-date=June 28, 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=September 19, 2018 |archive-date=June 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630125154/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/19/world/europe/poland-fort-trump.html |url-status=live }} During a press conference in the East Room of the White House, Duda stated:
{{quote|I would very much like for us to set up permanent American bases in Poland, which we would call "Fort Trump." And I firmly believe that this is possible. I am convinced that such a decision lies both in the Polish interest as well as in the interest of the United States.{{cite web |title=Remarks by President Trump and President Duda of the Republic of Poland in Joint Press Conference |url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-president-duda-republic-poland-joint-press-conference/ |access-date=June 28, 2020 |archive-date=January 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120200836/https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-president-duda-republic-poland-joint-press-conference/ |via=National Archives |work=whitehouse.gov |url-status=live }}}}
According to Roll Call, "President Trump considered the words, then raised his brows and pursed his lips before a wry grin took over his face". Another source described Trump as initially reticent on the idea of "Fort Trump", saying only that it should be examined more closely. However, the 116th United States Congress directed a study be commissioned on the proposal.
In March 2019, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy John Rood visited Warsaw to discuss details of the project. The US diplomats unofficially asked the Polish government not to use the term "Fort Trump" as it has been seen as politically controversial, with officials concerned the project could be perceived as a vanity project and not a serious military proposal.{{cite book|author=Christensen, Carsten Sander|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KlLUDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA167|title=Analyzing Political Tensions Between Ukraine, Russia, and the EU|date=February 21, 2020|publisher=IGI Global|isbn=978-1-79982-908-9|page=167|access-date=July 1, 2020|archive-date=August 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804044458/https://books.google.com/books?id=KlLUDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA167|url-status=live}} It was noted that because the United States Congress controls the American Department of Defense budget, and not the president, such a project would be unlikely to obtain funding from the Congress.
Critics have asserted that the proposal was an effort at "[p]laying to the U.S. commander-in-chief's narcissism", and described Donald Trump as "visibly flattered" by the suggestion,{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/poland-risky-america-first-policy-jaroslaw-kaczynski-donald-trump/|title=Poland's risky 'America first' policy|first1=Paul|last1=Taylor|work=Politico|date=October 4, 2018|access-date=August 24, 2020|archive-date=December 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213003017/https://www.politico.eu/article/poland-risky-america-first-policy-jaroslaw-kaczynski-donald-trump/|url-status=live}} and "gloating at the idea".{{cite web|url=https://www.rollcall.com/2018/09/19/fort-trump-how-polands-president-took-flattery-to-new-heights/|title='Fort Trump': How Poland's President Took Flattery to New Heights|first=John T.|last=Bennett|work=Roll Call|date=September 19, 2018|access-date=August 24, 2020|archive-date=September 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200910132004/https://www.rollcall.com/2018/09/19/fort-trump-how-polands-president-took-flattery-to-new-heights/|url-status=live}} An editorial in The Washington Post proposed that the offer to name the fort after Trump "may have won the Polish government some sympathetic words from the president at the United Nations".{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/poland-suggests-naming-a-fort-after-trump--and-trump-falls-for-the-flattery/2018/09/26/0a0a3040-c0f8-11e8-90c9-23f963eea204_story.html|title=Poland suggested naming a fort after Trump. Will that really improve its relations with the United States?|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=September 26, 2018|access-date=August 24, 2020|archive-date=April 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404061249/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/poland-suggests-naming-a-fort-after-trump--and-trump-falls-for-the-flattery/2018/09/26/0a0a3040-c0f8-11e8-90c9-23f963eea204_story.html|url-status=live}}
Later developments
In June 2019, President Donald Trump ordered the movement of an additional 1,000 United States soldiers to Poland from Germany. Unlike the Fort Trump proposal, the transferred units would be based at existing Polish facilities.{{cite news |last1=Myers |first1=Meghann |title=It's not 'Fort Trump,' but a US division headquarters heading to Poland |url=https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2019/06/12/its-not-fort-trump-but-a-us-division-headquarters-heading-to-poland/ |access-date=June 28, 2020 |work=Military Times |date=June 12, 2019 |archive-date=June 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200628234047/https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2019/06/12/its-not-fort-trump-but-a-us-division-headquarters-heading-to-poland/ |url-status=live }} The same month, Reuters reported that the U.S. military base proposal was dead after Polish and American officials could not agree on a funding arrangement, with Poland agreeing to contribute $2 billion to the project, less than requested by the Trump administration.{{cite news |last1=Ali |first1=Idrees |title=U.S.-Polish Fort Trump project crumbles |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-poland-usa-defense-forttrump/u-s-polish-fort-trump-project-crumbles-idUSKBN23H36P |access-date=June 28, 2020 |work=Reuters |date=June 10, 2020 |archive-date=June 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200628234044/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-poland-usa-defense-forttrump/u-s-polish-fort-trump-project-crumbles-idUSKBN23H36P |url-status=live }}
Both the American and Polish governments denied the accuracy of the Reuters report, with Polish presidential aide Krzysztof Szczerski describing it as "fake news" and United States Ambassador to Poland Georgette Mosbacher tweeting, in response to the story, that Trump and Duda's "vision for increased US presence in Poland will be even greater than originally outlined".{{cite news |title=Poland and U.S. Deny that Fort Trump Proposal is Bogged Down |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/usa_poland-and-us-deny-fort-trump-proposal-bogged-down/6191074.html |access-date=June 28, 2020 |publisher=Voice of America |agency=Reuters |date=June 13, 2020 |archive-date=June 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630045004/https://www.voanews.com/usa/poland-and-us-deny-fort-trump-proposal-bogged-down |url-status=live }} A United States Department of State spokesperson later emailed Reuters saying that talks for a U.S. military base in Poland were proceeding on schedule.
In August 2020, United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signed, on behalf of the United States, an agreement with Poland by which that nation would accept the redeployment of a further 5,500 American troops – including the forward command post of V Corps – with the potential for a 20,000-person surge capacity. According to BBC News, initial hopes were for the proposed military base to be the garrison of an entire division; the agreement "falls well short of this. But it sends a clear signal about Mr Trump's preferences" and that the concept "could be as much about politics as it is about strategy".{{cite news |title=Pompeo signs deal to redeploy troops from Germany to Poland |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/world-europe-53792019 |access-date=August 15, 2020 |work=BBC News |date=August 15, 2020 |archive-date=September 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200902234003/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/world-europe-53792019 |url-status=live }}
In February 2025, Duda revived the idea of "Fort Trump" as part of an effort to preserve American military commitments in Poland as the Trump administration began peace negotiations with Russia regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine.{{cite web |last=Gera |first=Vanessa |url=https://apnews.com/article/poland-us-ukraine-nato-e85429384b558ccebc4ead7116658619 |title=Polish president says US assures him it won’t reduce troop levels as he revives 'Fort Trump' idea |work=AP News |date=February 18, 2025 |access-date=February 19, 2025}}