U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta holds a press conference after participating in two days of meetings with NATO defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Feb. 22, 2013. DOD photo by Glenn Fawcett
Defense Cuts Jeopardize NATO's Effectiveness, Panetta Warns -- Reuters
European Defense cuts and U.S. budget gridlock are jeopardizing NATO's effectiveness, outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned on Friday.
Leaving his last NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels, Panetta joined those warning of the effects of deep Defense cuts in many Western countries and said it would be an "irresponsible act of political dysfunction" if the U.S. Congress permitted sweeping across-the-board Defense cuts to take place.
Many NATO governments have responded to economic crisis and budget pressures by slashing Defense spending, creating a growing gulf between U.S. and European military capabilities.
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My Comment: Panetta is right .... but no one is listening to someone who will be out of Washington (and retired) in the next week or two.
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