 U.S. Army sets up first permanent garrison in Poland. The U.S. Army has set up its first permanent garrison in Poland, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said at a ceremony at Kamp Kosiusko in the city of Poznan. We have been striving for this for years, for this word permanent and it has now become fact, said Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak at the opening ceremony. While Poland has long hosted U.S. troops on a rotational basis, it had lobbied Washington for that to be turned into a permanent presence. This is a historic moment, a sign that the United States is committed to Poland and NATO and that we are united in the face of Russian aggression, declared Blaszczak. It is the 8th garrison of the U.S. land forces in Europe with the others located in Germany, Belgium and Italy. Blaszczak, addressing the U.S. troops present, said that he was proud that Polish soldiers can exercise and increase interoperability with you. In the situation that Europe finds itself in, when Russia has invaded Ukraine, when Russia is trying to rebuild an empire, it is very important that the Western world is united and that it feels safe, he added, and it feels safe when our armed forces are working together. The U.S. Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski declared that the inauguration of the garrison was a sign that the United States is committed to Poland and the NATO alliance and that we are united in the face of Russian aggression. In recent years, the already close military cooperation between Poland and the U.S. has been further strengthened with Washington sending additional troops and equipment to Poland in response to Russian aggression. Currently around 10,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Poland.