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Summary Panetta warned NATO allies that America cannot always foot the bill when the alliance falls short.
The US defense chief warned NATO allies on Wednesday that they can no longer depend on the United States to make up for the type of military shortfalls witnessed in the Libyan and Afghan wars.With the US military facing its own major budget cuts, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta called on European and Canadian allies to work closely to pool resources at a time of austerity biting on both sides of the Atlantic.As for the United States, many might assume that the United States defence budget is so large it can absorb and cover alliance shortcomings - but make no mistake about it, we are facing dramatic cuts with real implications for alliance capability, he said in a speech in Brussels.Panetta delivered his warning before talks with NATO counterparts, centred on the missions in Libya and Afghanistan as well as the weaknesses the alliance experienced in the conflicts.Although US defence spending far exceeds European budgets, Panetta said American military leaders were facing $450 billion in cuts over 10 years, which he called tough but manageable.But if the US Congress fails to tackle the countrys deficit this year, the Pentagon could face additional cuts in defense ... (that) would be devastating to our national security and to yours as well.The cuts contemplated by the Pentagon would reduce the size of the force and curtail some weapons programmes, but the gargantuan US defence budget -- at nearly $700 billion -- still dwarfs that of the 27 other NATO members combined.NATO defence ministers agreed to focus on multinational cooperation to make better use of resources and the alliance will identify projects at a summit in Chicago next year, said NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.German Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere, however, said it would be tricky for Europeans to make up for what the Americans cant afford any longer for our common security, but we must concentrate on what is really necessary.The important thing is - even if it sounds difficult - to become smaller but more effective, he said.US officials have long urged European allies to shoulder more of the burden of the alliance. Panetta stressed that a new era of austerity would require member states to coordinate budget cuts to ease the impact on NATO.
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