President Barack Obama has unveiled plans for a “smaller and leaner” military focused on the potential threats from China and Iran, with a reduced presence in Europe.
On a rare visit to the Pentagon, Mr Obama said the US needed to rethink its military strategy, which will place greater emphasis on naval and air power while reducing the size of the army, because of both the fiscal crisis and the drawdown of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.
“We are now turning the page on a decade of war,” he said. “We have to renew our economic strength here at home, which is the foundation of our strength in the world.” He noted, however, that the US would still spend more on its armed forces than the next 10 military powers combined.