U.S. fields the world's strongest military - Panetta

PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta cautioned global rivals on Sunday, Jan 8, not to misjudge U.S. 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."

According to Reuters, Panetta, speaking on CBS's "Face the Nation" program ahead of Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, also reminded Republican presidential contenders who have criticized the Pentagon's new military strategy that the decision to cut $487 billion in defense spending was made by a bipartisan Congress.

Panetta said U.S. rivals should not misunderstand the situation.

"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. The Congress said ... we have to reduce the defense budget by $487 billion."

"I think the message that the world needs to understand is: America is the strongest military power and we intend to remain the strongest military power and nobody ought to mess with that," he said.