Defense Strategy Review
By David Alexander and Andrea Shalal-Esa/Reuters Washington 1 2 3 Next Page >> A review of U.S. strategic interests that will guide Pentagon budget cuts in coming years is expected to propose keeping fewer troops in Europe and abandoning the goal of maintaining a force that can fight and win two wars simultaneously, administration officials say. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will unveil the results of the eight-month strategic review Jan. 5 at a joint news conference with Army General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon said Jan. 3. The review is expected to propose the removal of another brigade of Army combat troops from Europe, leaving two brigades still on the continent, one administration official said. A brigade consists of some 3,000 to 4,000 troops depending on its configuration. “That’s a very real possibility, but not a new one,” said another administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “It’s an idea - and