A Pentagon decision to cut the overall troop numbers worldwide will not affect the number of U.S. service personnel stationed in Korea, a senior U.S. defense official said Wednesday.

Speaking at a forum in Washington, acting Deputy Secretary of Defense Christine Fox said the U.S. military operations in Korea will not be affected by the scale back as they are crucial to ensur e the security of the Korean peninsula.

She added that the U.S. military’s plan to pivot more to the Asia-Pacific region will also continue as originally planned.

Currently, there are just over 28,000 U.S. troops stationed in Korea.

On Feb. 24, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel unveiled plans to cut U.S. army numbers by between 70,000 and 80,000.