Pentagon cancels Army unit’s deployment to Europe with soldiers already in Poland

The Army canceled a major deployment of a cavalry unit to Europe, just as soldiers began rolling out.

A U.S. official confirmed to Task & Purpose that the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division’s deployment to Poland was canceled by a Defense Department memo that was released on May 1. A portion of the unit that is already in Poland has been directed to return to the United States, the official said. The exact reason for the cancellation is unclear.

Military Times first reported on the cancellation.

The unit, based out of Fort Hood, Texas, was deploying to Europe as part of a regularly scheduled rotation of forces. They were set to replace 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. The mission is in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve, the ongoing effort to bolster NATO’s forces in central and eastern Europe. Nearly 4,000 soldiers from the brigade were set to spend several months, mainly in Poland, working with partner forces.

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The cancellation comes as the White House announced plans to draw down 5,000 troops deployed to Europe. Another defense official told Task & Purpose that the overall cuts to Europe meant slashing one of the four rotational brigades that currently deploys to the region.

When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the U.S. began increasing its forces along Europe’s eastern flank as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve. During that time, U.S. troop presence expanded to two division headquarters and five brigades. But over the last year and a half, that has been “slowly reduced” down to one division headquarters, and now three brigades, the defense official said.

Members of the unit’s advanced echelon were already in Europe when the deployment was cut short. Those soldiers were sent early to do a hand-off from the unit they were replacing and prepare for the rest of their unit to arrive and begin training with European partner forces.

The Army announced the rotation in March. Ahead of the planned deployment, soldiers from 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division trained extensively, including carrying out two rotations at the National Training Center. On May 1, the brigade combat team held a color casing ceremony ahead of the deployment, a tradition done before going on deployment.

“Make no mistake — our adversaries are paying attention,” Maj. Gen. Tom Feltey, the head of the 1st Cavalry Division, said during the ceremony, according to an Army release. “When an armored brigade combat team deploys forward, it sends a clear and unmistakable signal. The ABCT is the embodiment of American ground combat power.”

That ceremony was the same day that the Department of Defense announced that 5,000 U.S. troops would withdraw from Germany The decision, a Pentagon spokesperson said at the time, came after a review of the military’s presence in Europe. It also came amid a diplomatic spat between President Donald Trump and Germany’s leadership over the ongoing war with Iran.

The brigade combat team last deployed to Europe in 2023 and some of its soldiers had also been sent to Washington D.C. to walk in the 250th Army birthday parade. The 2nd ABCT was designated as a transform in contact unit so its soldiers had just finished the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California rotation where they trained with new technology and tactics before their planned deployment with European forces.