US warns rivals not to 'mess' with lean military
Source: Agencies |
January 9, 2012, Monday
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Print Edition
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US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta cautioned global rivals yesterday not to misjudge plans to slash military spending over the next decade, saying America would still field the world's strongest military and nobody should "mess with that."
Panetta, speaking on CBS's "Face the Nation" program ahead of the New Hampshire primary tomorrow, also reminded Republican presidential contenders who have criticized the Pentagon's new military strategy that the decision to cut US$487 billion in defense spending was made by a bipartisan Congress.
Some Republicans have expressed concerns about the cuts and their impact. Leading Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney charged that President Barack Obama's new military strategy unveiled last week was "inexcusable and unthinkable."
The new strategy, meant to guide defense spending over the next decade as the military cuts back, calls for greater emphasis on Asia even as the Army and Marines shrink into smaller and more agile forces.
Some Republicans have been concerned about a shift away from the Pentagon's Cold War-era goal of being able to fight two major ground wars simultaneously. Pentagon officials have downplayed the shift, saying the military will still be configured to fight more than one conflict at a time.
"I think this country has to deal with the reality of the situation that we're confronting," Panetta said in a pre-recorded interview. "We're coming out of a decade of war. We're facing a huge budget crisis in this country.
Panetta, speaking on CBS's "Face the Nation" program ahead of the New Hampshire primary tomorrow, also reminded Republican presidential contenders who have criticized the Pentagon's new military strategy that the decision to cut US$487 billion in defense spending was made by a bipartisan Congress.
Some Republicans have expressed concerns about the cuts and their impact. Leading Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney charged that President Barack Obama's new military strategy unveiled last week was "inexcusable and unthinkable."
The new strategy, meant to guide defense spending over the next decade as the military cuts back, calls for greater emphasis on Asia even as the Army and Marines shrink into smaller and more agile forces.
Some Republicans have been concerned about a shift away from the Pentagon's Cold War-era goal of being able to fight two major ground wars simultaneously. Pentagon officials have downplayed the shift, saying the military will still be configured to fight more than one conflict at a time.
"I think this country has to deal with the reality of the situation that we're confronting," Panetta said in a pre-recorded interview. "We're coming out of a decade of war. We're facing a huge budget crisis in this country.
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