NATO allies and defence officials expressed bewilderment yesterday at US President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would send 5,000 US troops to Poland just weeks after ordering the same number of forces to be pulled out of Europe.

The apparent change of mind came after weeks of statements from Trump and his administration about reducing — not increasing — the US military footprint in Europe. Trump’s initial order set off a flurry of activity among military commanders and left allies, already doubtful about America’s commitment to Europe’s security, pondering what forces they might have to backfill on NATO’s eastern flank alongside Russia and Ukraine.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration said it was reducing troop levels in Europe by about 5,000, and US officials confirmed that approximately 4,000 service members were no longer rotating into Poland from Germany. The deployment to Germany of US personnel trained to fire long-range missiles was also halted.