WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama unveiled a defense strategy on Thursday that would expand the U.S. military presence in Asia but shrink the overall size of the force as the Pentagon seeks to slash spending by nearly half a trillion dollars after a decade of war.

The strategy, if carried out, would significantly reshape the world’s most powerful military following the buildup that was a key part of President George W. Bush’s “war on terrorism” in Iraq and Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Six months into his tenure as U.S. defense secretary, Leon Panetta has simultaneously been branded an unreasonable defender of Pentagon spending and an ax-man who is forging ahead with dangerous cuts to the American military.

In Washington’s power corridors, there are plenty of people who make one charge or the other about Panetta – and maybe even both at the same time.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Six months into his tenure as U.S. defense secretary, Leon Panetta has simultaneously been branded an unreasonable defender of Pentagon spending and an ax-man who is forging ahead with dangerous cuts to the American military.

In Washington’s power corridors, there are plenty of people who make one charge or the other about Panetta – and maybe even both at the same time.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama unveiled a defense strategy on Thursday that calls for greater U.S. military presence in Asia and envisions cutting troops in Europe as the Pentagon seeks to reduce spending by nearly half a trillion dollars after a decade of war.

Obama, in a Pentagon news conference alongside Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, released a strategy document that calls for the United States to maintain a force that can win one war while still having the capability to deter the objectives of an adversary in a second conflict.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. probe on Thursday found both American and Pakistani forces were to blame for a border incident that killed 24 Pakistani troops last month, inflaming already strained ties and deepening doubts about whether Pakistan will help or hinder the U.S. fight in Afghanistan.

The U.S. military blamed Pakistani soldiers for firing at NATO forces as they prepared for a mission in a remote area near Afghanistan’s eastern border with Pakistan close to midnight on November 25.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. probe on Thursday found that both American and Pakistani forces were to blame for an incident that killed 24 Pakistani troops in a remote area along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border last month, inflaming already strained bilateral ties.

The U.S. military blamed Pakistani soldiers for firing at NATO forces across the border in Afghanistan, triggering the incident, which took place overnight between November 25-26.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – When Defense Secretary Leon Panetta visited U.S. troops in South Korea in October and told them that they were on “the front line,” it was clearly a rhetorical flourish meant to show appreciation for the 28,500 American forces theoretically in firing range of the North.

But less than two months later, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s death has raised the possibility of true instability on the Korean peninsula. And rather than speaking with colorful bravado, U.S. officials have been at pains to avoid doing or saying anything that could escalate tensions or create the perception of looming conflict.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – When Defense Secretary Leon Panetta visited U.S. troops in South Korea in October and told them that they were on “the front line,” it was clearly a rhetorical flourish meant to show appreciation for the 28,500 American forces theoretically in firing range of the North.

But less than two months later, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s death has raised the possibility of true instability on the Korean peninsula. And rather than speaking with colorful bravado, U.S. officials have been at pains to avoid doing or saying anything that could escalate tensions or create the perception of looming conflict.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Flying drone aircraft over Afghanistan from the comfort of a military base in the United States is much more stressful than it might seem, even for pilots spared the sacrifice of overseas deployment and separation from family and friends.

America’s insatiable demand for drone technology is taking a heavy toll on Air Force crews, with just under a third of active duty pilots of drones like the Predator reporting symptoms of burnout and 17 percent showing signs of “clinical distress.”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States on Friday handed over its last detainee in Iraq to Iraqi authorities, a White House official told Reuters, after months of failed efforts by Washington to convince Baghdad to allow his extradition for trial.

White House National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said Washington had received assurances that Ali Mussa Daqduq, a suspected Hezbollah operative, would be tried for his crimes. Daqduq is accused of orchestrating a 2007 kidnapping that resulted in the killing of five U.S. military personnel.