(MENAFN) American military forces will maintain their presence in Romania with modified deployment cycles, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed Friday.

"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, appearing alongside President Donald Trump.

Trump rejected claims that the Pentagon operated without executive oversight when announcing troop withdrawals from Romania, characterizing the action as a strategic realignment rather than a drawdown of U.S. military forces across Europe.

When questioned by journalists about the decision—which seemingly conflicted with his previous pledge against removing American forces from Europe—Trump dismissed any notion of bureaucratic independence.

"What they do ... we make changes ...we move people around," Trump said, then invited Hegseth to elaborate.

The Defense Secretary firmly denied any coordination breakdown with the executive branch.

"No. Nothing was uncoordinated with the White House," Hegseth replied.

Hegseth emphasized the strength of bilateral ties, stating U.S. relations with Romania is "very good."

"We've coordinated all this with (NATO) Secretary-General (Mark) Rutte, with throughout EUCOM, throughout our allies. Everyone was notified in advance," Hegseth added.

Romania's Defense Ministry disclosed last month that Washington planned to diminish its footprint across certain eastern flank nations, including Romania, following formal notification to NATO partners.

Congressional critics condemned the Pentagon's troop reduction plan in Romania, characterizing the maneuver as "uncoordinated and directly at odds" with Trump's strategy.

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