US troop movements in Europe not ‘punitive,’ Rubio says after Poland reversal

Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied on Friday that the administration’s ongoing reshuffling of its force posture in Europe is “punitive.”

The U.S. military’s footprint has been a hot topic in Washington and European capitals following President Donald Trump’s recent announcements that the United States would withdraw thousands of troops from Germany and Poland, though he later announced additional U.S. troops would be deployed to the latter.

“Obviously, the United States continues to have global commitments that it needs to meet in terms of our force deployment, and that constantly requires us to reexamine where we put troops,” he said alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. “This is not a punitive thing. It’s just a — something that’s ongoing, and it was pre-existing, all these recent reports and tensions and so forth.

“So that’s a process that will continue that I think in a very positive and productive way, in collaboration with our Allies, can reach decisions,” he said. “But