President Barack Obama, right, briefs the press with Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, left, at the Pentagon, Jan. 5, 2012. Obama, Panetta and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo
Our Nation is at a moment of transition. Thanks to the extraordinary sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, we have responsibly ended the war in Iraq, put al-Qa'ida on the path to defeat- including delivering justice to Osama bin Laden - and made significant progress in Afghanistan, allowing us to begin the transition to Afghan responsibility. At the same time, we must put our fiscal house in order here at home and renew our long-term economic strength.
To that end, the Budget Control Act of2011 mandates reductions in federal spending, including defense spending. As Commander in Chief, I am determined that we meet the challenges ofthis moment responsibly and that we emerge even stronger in a manner that preserves American global leadership, maintains our military superiority and keeps faith with our troops, military families and veterans. I therefore directed this review to identify our strategic interests and guide our defense priorities and spending over the coming decade.
This review has been shaped by America's enduring national security interests. We seek the security of our Nation, allies and partners. We seek the prosperity that flows from an open and free international economic system. And we seek a just and sustainable international order where the rights and responsibilities of nations and peoples are upheld, especially the fundamental rights of every human being.
Indeed, as we end today's wars, we will focus on a broader range of challenges and opportunities, including the security and prosperity of the Asia Pacific. As a new generation across the Middle East and North Africa demands their universal rights, we are supporting pol i tical and economic reform and deepening partnerships to ensure regional security.
In contrast to the murderous vision of violent extremists, we are joining with allies and partners around the world to build their capacity to promote security, prosperity, and human dignity.
And the growing capabilities of allies and partners, as demonstrated in the successful mission to protect the Libyan people, create new opportunities for burden-sharing. Meeting these challenges cannot be the work of our military alone, which is why we have strengthened all the tools of American power, including diplomacy and development, intelligence, and homeland security. Going forward, we will also remember the lessons of history and avoid repeating the mistakes of the past when our military was left ill-prepared for the future.
As we end today's wars and reshape our Armed Forces, we will ensure that our military is agile, flexible, and ready for the full range of contingencies. In particular, we will continue to invest in the capabilities critical to future success, including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; counterterrorism; countering weapons of mass destruction; operating in anti-access environments; and prevailing in all domains, including cyber.
Most importantly, we will keep faith with our troops, military families and veterans who have borne the burden of a decade of war and who make our military the best in the world. Though we must make hard fisical choices, we will continue to prioritize efforts that focus on wounded warriors, mental health, and families. And as our newest veterans rejoin civilian life, we continue to have a moral obligation - as a government and as a Nation - to give our veterans the care, benefits, and the job opportunities they deserve.
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. And in a changing world that demands our leadership, the United States of America will remain the greatest force of freedom and security that the world has ever known.
Barack Obama