(MENAFN) Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed Friday that American forces will continue to be stationed in Romania, though the structure and frequency of their rotations will be adjusted. "There will remain troops in Romania, but there will be some change in how we rotate them and how many we rotate," Hegseth told reporters at the White House alongside President Donald Trump.

Trump dismissed claims that the Pentagon acted independently in the decision to withdraw certain troops from Romania, emphasizing that the adjustments are part of a broader realignment rather than a reduction of the U.S. military footprint in Europe. When asked about the apparent contradiction with his earlier remarks that no forces would be withdrawn from Europe, Trump said the Pentagon does "not ignore anything that I say." He added, "What they do ... we make changes ...we move people around," and invited Hegseth to provide further clarification.

Hegseth reassured that all actions were coordinated with the White House, saying, "No. Nothing was uncoordinated with the White House." He described the U.S.-Romania relationship as "very good" and noted that NATO and allies were informed in advance. "We've coordinated all this with (NATO) Secretary-General (Mark) Rutte, with throughout EUCOM, throughout our allies. Everyone was notified in advance," Hegseth stated.

Reports from last month indicated that the Pentagon would scale back U.S. troop levels in some eastern flank countries, including Romania, a decision that drew criticism from several lawmakers who described it as "uncoordinated and directly at odds" with Trump’s strategy.

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