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USA WARNS Rivals “Rivals Be WARNED, We’re Still The MOST POWERFUL NATION”
WASHINGTON — U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta cautioned global rivals on Sunday 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.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta
“Yes, the tide of war is receding. However, this strategy will answer what kind of military we will need after the long wars of the last decade (Iraq and Afghanistan). Today, we’re moving forward, from a position of strength,” said the president Thursday during his press conference at the Pentagon. “I just want to say that that this effort reflects the guidance I gave throughout this process.”
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 was “inexcusable and unthinkable” because it would reduce U.S. global military capability.
Mitt Romney has said he would “clamp down on China” if he is elected in this year’s presidential election. “It’s time to let a conservative businessman take the reins of government to make sure America, not China is the economic powerhouse of the world,” Romney said.
Obama announcing new military strategies
“Some will no doubt say the spending reductions are too big; others will say they’re too small,” said Obama. “It will be easy to take issue with a particular change. However, I would encourage all of us to remember what (former) President Eisenhower once said — that ‘each proposal must be weighed in the light of a broader consideration: the need to maintain balance in and among national programs.”
“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 are facing a huge budget crisis in this country. The Congress said… we have to reduce the defense budget by $487 billion.”
Panetta however, said U.S. rivals should not misunderstand the situation. “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.
“They need to know that… if they take any hostile step, they are going to get stopped,” Panetta added.
General Martin Dempsey, the top U.S. military officer as chairperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told CBS News he worried that some countries might misunderstand the debate Americans are having over changing strategy and the need to cut defense spending.
“There may be some around the world who see us as a nation in decline, and worse, as a military in decline. And nothing could be further from the truth,” Dempsey said.
He said such a miscalculation could be “troublesome” in dealing with countries like Iran or North Korea but it could also cause close friends to wonder if the United States would continue to be a consistent ally.
“What I’d like to say right now is we’re the same partner we’ve always been, and intend to remain that way,” Dempsey said.
“All of the trends, demographic trends, geopolitical trends, economic trends and military trends are shifting toward the Asia-Pacific,” the general said. “So our strategic challenges in the future will largely emanate out of the Asia-Pacific region. America’s biggest 21st Century rival is China.”
The president mentioned China’s growing military power in his speech at the Pentagon Thursday, warning that the U.S. will maintain its reputation as an elite world military power. “States such as China will continue to pursue asymmetric means to counter our power projections capabilities, while the proliferation of sophisticated weapons and technology will extend to non-state actors as well,” said Mr. Obama.
“The fiscal choices we face are difficult ones, but there should be no doubt, here in the United States or around the world – we will keep our Armed Forces the best-trained, best-led, best equipped fighting force in history.”
China, who has the second-largest military spending in the world, did not give any official response, but the Xinhua news agency, warned Washington on Friday not to “recklessly practice militarism” or engage in “war mongering.” Reacting to Thursday’s announcement, an editorial in Global Times, the newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, said China should “remain sober” in response to the U.S. shift.
“China should try to avoid a new cold war with the U.S., but by no means should it give up its peripheral security in exchange for U.S. ease in Asia,” the newspaper wrote. “The U.S. must realize that it cannot stop the rise of China and that being friendly to China is in its utmost interests.”
The leadership in China however, has largely dismissed the sabre-rattling as ‘political rhetoric’ in election year. Former president Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and the current Obama had in the past ‘talk tough’ on China in times of election. Politicians of both countries likewise, have no appetite to start a war. While the right wing groups in the U.S. called for economic and strategical triumph over China, they did not ask for a war, the countries they pressed to go war with instead, are Iran, Syria and Pakistan.
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CCC
January 9, 2012 at 1:38 pm
I LOVE USA. IN GOD WE TRUST
Shimwana
January 9, 2012 at 2:10 pm
Bloody Imperialists! olo nikuponta ati ‘Obama said that the US military will be smaller, but that the budget will still be larger than the next 10 largest countries militarily combined.’
Aden
January 9, 2012 at 4:27 pm
BAKIFALA!!!…true though, no country can fight USA. Guys USA has gone beyond our solar system and you think you can fight with them?
Munalian
January 9, 2012 at 4:44 pm
The British,French,Roman,Greek etc empires once believed they were invincible…but the only place they can be found at now is in history books and ruins….only a matter of time!!!
Sunfloor
January 9, 2012 at 4:49 pm
*Shimwana*LOL fyalikwata imiponto sana!!!!!
tommy
January 9, 2012 at 6:49 pm
America in Prophesy it says one day America will rule the world,don’t undermine America in anyway all these Countries faking to be doing fine still depends and fear America they have pulled out from Iraq and Aflgunstan pretending to end the war but watch this space war is going to Iran and Korea now.
Icon
January 9, 2012 at 7:32 pm
Americans at it again!every country with nuclear weapons cn nt fear america coz it iz assured mutual destruction..dnt knw wat they boastn abt!
zambian
January 10, 2012 at 6:02 am
These statements made are signs of a downfall. They are displaying their fear of China. In reality, China is the real super power.
Remember, oppression has a limit only God knows. Most importantly, what goes around comes around. No nation in history has remained powerful forever and America is no different.
As the previous blogger mentioned, America has gone beyond our Solar system, its now time for them to retuen to reality. What goes up HAS to come down!
Alangizi
January 10, 2012 at 6:07 am
Usa cant risk atakn korea thy wud hav atakd akale its simple north korea has pointd misiles dat can take a nuclear war head upon south korea an aly henc thy jst negotiate.like one said ther wer empires thy ar history n usa wl soon bcom part of dat ilustrious past th bible shudnt b uzd 2 sanctify usa its a power slowly losing grip thy evn fail 2 beat th talibans?nations wit atom bombs hav brote peace çoz usa wud hav bin a buly
Osmuka
January 10, 2012 at 6:30 am
We had better have USA has the most powerfull country than China. However,whether you like it or not kingdom come and go.USA is not an exceptional. It is beyond human understanding. Much as USA would like to maintain their position it has come to pass. Even ancient kingdoms had the same language but time came ,their being superpower ended. We had the world of Noahs day,Sodom and Gomorah, Babylon the greet, Medo-Persia, Eygpt,Roman Empire, Greek, Britain, France and others. Today we can only read their being super power indeed in the Historical books. USA will go and other nations will come. Comfortingly the kingdom of our Lord ,king Jesus will stand forever ,AMEN !
Phiri
January 10, 2012 at 9:03 am
USA can go to hell CHINA is coming.
pano chola
January 10, 2012 at 2:11 pm
Osmuka u re right, every THING has an end.
Barbed Wire
January 11, 2012 at 9:52 am
China is giving the USA sleepless nights. These satements should be reapeated 20 years from now!
LEE
January 11, 2012 at 12:12 pm
AM NOT SURPRISED ,JUST WATCHING AND PRAYING.
Russian
January 12, 2012 at 10:21 am
RUSSIA????????????
Sherlock Holmes
January 13, 2012 at 9:00 am
Times and seasons . . .
bangx
January 13, 2012 at 1:00 pm
USA has rejected God and his laws,it cant go far.
whatever has a beginning has an end,what doesnt end never began!! and that is ONLY GOD HIMSELF
musalu wali pe samba
January 13, 2012 at 8:08 pm
Oh no!America,why spending sleepiness nights over China’s economic growth? Turn to God and He will heal you. Remember that you have forsaken the Lord your God lately in whom you used to trust!!!!Hence your down fall in everything now.Repent now, stop advocating homosexuality ,then the Lord will heal your land (2 Chronicles 7:14)
lenox
January 22, 2012 at 9:54 am
i dont care what anyone else from anyother country say’s about the usa. they have no ideal what we have hidden withend our states thats all am saying dont be mislead by what were doing mind yalls business in your country.
stoga
January 23, 2012 at 11:54 pm
okay they have earned it!they deserve credit…America is big and its good i wont have to argue with anyone who is most feared..no Russia
Greg Kadimba
June 5, 2012 at 3:10 pm
Definitely,and if you think otherwise then you are lost.US rules