Obama, at Pentagon, unveils new military strategy (VIDEO)
US President Barack Obama has announced a new military strategy, one that will see the US military becoming "leaner" and focused on the Asia-Pacific region.
In a rare appearance in the Pentagon briefing room, Obama on Thursday unveiled a plan that will include cuts to the military, but he said the United States will "maintain our military superiority."
According to the BBC, Obama told reporters:
"So yes, our military will be leaner, but the world must know — the United States is going to maintain our military superiority with armed forces that are agile, flexible and ready for the full range of contingencies and threats."
The Pentagon faces more than $450 billion in cuts in the next 10 years.
Obama said the US military is in a "moment of transition" after a decade of war.
The New York Times reported that the new military strategy will focus on naval and air power in the Pacific and the Strait of Hormuz, to counter China and Iran.
“Now, we’re turning the page on a decade of war,” Obama said in his prepared remarks, The Times reported.
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Obama appeared with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who said that the sizes of the Army and Marine Corps will be reduced, but Special Forces troops will increase in size, USA Today reported.
The review of the nation’s military budget was announced last year by former defense secretary Robert Gates.
Gates said it was important for the public and Congress to fully understand the strategy choices the military faced due to $450 billion in additional reductions through 2021, including about $261 billion through 2017, Bloomberg reported.
More from GlobalPost: Defense Secretary Leon Panetta repeats warning on defense cuts
