Special to WorldTribune.com

Compiled by Bill Gertz, Geostrategy-Direct.com

The Pentagon unveiled a new defense strategy last week that calls for sharp cuts in the armed forces, a move that increases the risk that enemies will exploit U.S. military shortcomings by launching wars while U.S. forces are engaged in another regional conflict.

President Obama hailed the strategy as a “smart, strategic set of priorities” that were formulated based on the need to renew American fiscal strength with smaller conventional ground forces and an overall leaner military.

However, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the new strategy unquestionably increases risks to U.S. national security interests.

“There’s no question that we have to make some trade-offs and that we will be taking, as a result of that, some level of additional but acceptable risk in the budget plan that we release next month. These are not easy choices,” Panetta said.

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  Barack Obama, Leon Panetta, Obama officials concede his new defense strategy increases war risk, Pentagon, U.S. nationaly security