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US Affirms Strong Role For Military
KUWAIT CITY, Dec 11, (Agencies): The US military will retain a strong presence in the Middle East despite a strategic shift to Asia, Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said Tuesday during a visit to Kuwait.
The United States plans to deploy a majority of its naval fleet to the Asia-Pacific along with other advanced weaponry but Panetta insisted that a robust American force would remain in place in the Middle East.
Panetta spoke to reporters aboard his plane travelling to Kuwait City on a two-day visit to discuss bolstering security ties amid tumult in the region and tensions with Iran.
Strong
Let me assure you that the United States is strong enough that we can maintain a strong presence in the Middle East as well as in the Pacific, he said.
He acknowledged that the United States had to be flexible in managing its forces in a more austere era and that it would have only one aircraft carrier in the Middle East for about two months to allow for maintenance work on another carrier, the USS Nimitz.
The American military still had nearly 50,000 troops and warships positioned across the region, he said.
But in the end, I am very confident that were going to be able to maintain the ships and forces we need in order to respond to any contingency.
The United States has deployed more ships and aircraft in the strategic Gulf over the past year after Iran threatened to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz if Western countries boycotted Iranian oil exports.
Talks
Kuwaits Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, held talks at his residence with Panetta in the presence of the Crown Prince, the prime minister, defence minister and senior officials, the state-run KUNA news agency reported.
KUNA provided no details about the talks.
During the visit, which ends on Wednesday, Panetta also plans to meet some of the 13,500 US troops stationed in the Gulf state to thank them for their service ahead of the Christmas holidays.
His visit is the first to the country by a Pentagon chief in five years.
We share a history of cooperation that goes back to the first Gulf War, in 1991 that ousted Iraqi occupation forces, Panetta said of Kuwait, calling the country an important partner.
I look forward to discussing with the government of Kuwait how can we enhance that cooperation in the face of regional security challenges in the area, he said.
Our presence in Kuwait and throughout the Gulf helps enhance the capabilities of partner nations, deters aggression and helps ensure that were better able to respond to crises in the region.
Panettas visit coincides with a wave of protests in the Kuwait, with thousands of opposition demonstrators demanding fresh elections due to a bitter dispute over amendments to the countrys electoral law.
Kuwaiti activists have called for protesters to camp outside parliament next Saturday on the eve of its opening session.
The Syrian government seems to have slowed preparations for the possible use of chemical weapons against rebel targets, US Panetta said Tuesday.
Last week, US officials said there was evidence that Syrian forces had begun preparing sarin, a nerve agent, for possible use in bombs.
Speaking to reporters flying with him from Washington to Kuwait, Panetta suggested the threat was no longer escalating, although he was not specific about any Syrian military preparations.
At this point the intelligence has really kind of leveled off, he said. We havent seen anything new indicating any aggressive steps to move forward in that way.
Asked whether he believed Syrian President Bashar Assad was heeding Western warnings against using chemical weapons, Panetta said: I like to believe hes got the message. Weve made it pretty clear. Others have as well.
He noted that the Assad regime is coming under increasing pressure from rebel forces.
Our concern is that if they feel like the regime is threatened with collapse, they might resort to these kinds of weapons, he said.
Syria is believed to have a formidable arsenal of chemical weapons, including sarin and mustard gas, although its exact dimensions are not known. Syria is not a signatory to the 1997 Convention on Chemical Weapons and thus is not obliged to permit international inspection.
US affirms strong role for military
KUWAIT CITY, Dec 11, (Agencies): The US military will retain a strong presence in the Middle East despite a strategic shift to Asia, Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said Tuesday during a visit to Kuwait.
The United States plans to deploy a majority of its naval fleet to the Asia-Pacific along with other advanced weaponry but Panetta insisted that a robust American force would remain in place in the Middle East.
Panetta spoke to reporters aboard his plane travelling to Kuwait City on a two-day visit to discuss bolstering security ties amid tumult in the region and tensions with Iran.
Strong
Let me assure you that the United States is strong enough that we can maintain a strong presence in the Middle East as well as in the Pacific, he said.
He acknowledged that the United States had to be flexible in managing its forces in a more austere era and that it would have only one aircraft carrier in the Middle East for about two months to allow for maintenance work on another carrier, the USS Nimitz.
The American military still had nearly 50,000 troops and warships positioned across the region, he said.
But in the end, I am very confident that were going to be able to maintain the ships and forces we need in order to respond to any contingency.
The United States has deployed more ships and aircraft in the strategic Gulf over the past year after Iran threatened to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz if Western countries boycotted Iranian oil exports.
Talks
Kuwaits Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, held talks at his residence with Panetta in the presence of the Crown Prince, the prime minister, defence minister and senior officials, the state-run KUNA news agency reported.
KUNA provided no details about the talks.
During the visit, which ends on Wednesday, Panetta also plans to meet some of the 13,500 US troops stationed in the Gulf state to thank them for their service ahead of the Christmas holidays.
His visit is the first to the country by a Pentagon chief in five years.
We share a history of cooperation that goes back to the first Gulf War, in 1991 that ousted Iraqi occupation forces, Panetta said of Kuwait, calling the country an important partner.
I look forward to discussing with the government of Kuwait how can we enhance that cooperation in the face of regional security challenges in the area, he said.
Our presence in Kuwait and throughout the Gulf helps enhance the capabilities of partner nations, deters aggression and helps ensure that were better able to respond to crises in the region.
Panettas visit coincides with a wave of protests in the Kuwait, with thousands of opposition demonstrators demanding fresh elections due to a bitter dispute over amendments to the countrys electoral law.
Kuwaiti activists have called for protesters to camp outside parliament next Saturday on the eve of its opening session.
The Syrian government seems to have slowed preparations for the possible use of chemical weapons against rebel targets, US Panetta said Tuesday.
Last week, US officials said there was evidence that Syrian forces had begun preparing sarin, a nerve agent, for possible use in bombs.
Speaking to reporters flying with him from Washington to Kuwait, Panetta suggested the threat was no longer escalating, although he was not specific about any Syrian military preparations.
At this point the intelligence has really kind of leveled off, he said. We havent seen anything new indicating any aggressive steps to move forward in that way.
Asked whether he believed Syrian President Bashar Assad was heeding Western warnings against using chemical weapons, Panetta said: I like to believe hes got the message. Weve made it pretty clear. Others have as well.
He noted that the Assad regime is coming under increasing pressure from rebel forces.
Our concern is that if they feel like the regime is threatened with collapse, they might resort to these kinds of weapons, he said.
Syria is believed to have a formidable arsenal of chemical weapons, including sarin and mustard gas, although its exact dimensions are not known. Syria is not a signatory to the 1997 Convention on Chemical Weapons and thus is not obliged to permit international inspection.
US affirms strong role for military
