On Friday, 20 February 2026, the American defense publication Stars & Stripes reported that the Polish Ministry of National Defence had funded 717 container housing units for U.S. soldiers stationed at the 33rd Airlift Base in Powidz, replacing 12-person tents.
Photos: Sarah Williams, US Army
Kontenery mieszkalne w 33. Bazie Lotnictwa Transportowego w Powidzu zostały zaprezentowane publicznie 18 lutego. Stacjonujący tam personel amerykański przenosi się z 12-osobowych klimatyzowanych namiotów do dwuosobowych kontenerowców w ramach szerszej modernizacji infrastruktury.
“Across the country, 717 units of container housing have been installed, eliminating about 120 lodging tents and saving roughly $7.2 million for the U.S. over the past year,” U.S. Army Garrison Poland spokesman Marcus Fichtl said.
“The shift is intended to eliminate tent living for nine-month rotations,” Erik Benda, Powidz Military Community supervisory operations specialist, said during a recent tour.
“The containerized housing units, or CHUs, are insulated and climate-controlled. They replace rows of canvas shelters. Funded by Poland, they provide more privacy and stability,” Benda said.
There are currently a total of 262 CHUs at the 33rd Airlift Base, of which 147 are already occupied. The long-term plan calls for the construction of 720 in Powidz by the end of the year. This will be enough to accommodate about 1,440 soldiers. Although the expansion of the base is primarily intended to support rotational forces stationed there, Benda said additional accommodation solutions are planned for personnel passing through the base on short-term missions related to logistics operations.
“Poland’s not just providing the CHU,” Benda said. “They’re also providing all the furniture, the electricity and the maintenance.”
The project has not been without challenges. A key difficulty was preparing all units for occupancy, including connecting them to the power grid and coordinating contractors to transfer the existing Wi-Fi network from the tents to the new units.
The modernization of living conditions for U.S. soldiers in Powidz is part of a much larger expansion plan covering two main areas.
“About 90% of major work tied to Polish-provided infrastructure is taking place near the airfield, including future barracks intended as a permanent housing solution and a dining facility,” Benda said.
“The barracks were previously expected to be completed by 2027 but are now tracking closer to 2028 due to delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
Other quality-of-life projects include a new gym and an indoor swimming pool for U.S. and Polish soldiers, both scheduled to open later this year.
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