WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- Announcing a new defense strategy, the United States said Thursday that it will slim down its armed forces in general but they will play a bigger role in Asia in the rebalancing of firepower abroad. The Pentagon assured that it would be able to handle possible simultaneous conflicts with North Korea and Iran.
"Our military will be leaner, but the world must know the United States is going to maintain our military superiority with armed forces that are agile, flexible and ready for the full range of contingencies and threats," President Barack Obama said in his first appearance at a Pentagon press briefing.
He was speaking just before the release of his administration's fresh defense guide at a "turning point" with the end of war in Iraq and a legal mandate to slash military budgets. The war in Afghanistan is also winding down.
Obama emphasized that Washington's commitment to the Asia-Pacific region, however, will not be affected, hinting the military presence in Korea will remain unchanged. The U.S. has around 28,000 soldiers in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War.
The troop levels have fluctuated over the years.
"As I made clear in Australia, we will be strengthening our presence in the Asia-Pacific, and budget reductions will not come at the expense of that critical region," he said with a dozen uniformed military leaders standing behind him.
Formally named "Sustaining U.S. Global Leadership: Priorities for 21st Century Defense," the document makes clear that the U.S. is moving Asia up in its defense strategy priorities.
"While the U.S. military will continue to contribute to security globally, we will of necessity rebalance toward the Asia-Pacific region," it read. "We will emphasize our existing alliances, which provide a vital foundation for Asia-Pacific security."
It said the U.S. will "maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula by effectively working with allies and other regional states to deter and defend against provocation from North Korea, which is actively pursuing a nuclear weapons program."
In a press briefing later, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta described the "destabilizing behavior of nations like Iran and North Korea" as one of challenges that call for a reshaping of America's defense priorities.
He dismissed views that America's "smaller and leaner" armed forces will not be able to handle two wars at the same time, possibly sending a wrong signal to enemies.
The fundamental question is whether the U.S. can deal with two enemies simultaneously with its new so-called Joint Force.
"The reality is that you could face a land war in Korea and at the same time face threats in the Straits of Hormuz," Panetta said. "We have the capability with this Joint Force to deal with those kinds of threats, to be able to confront them and to be able to win."
Tensions are escalating in the strategic Strait of Hormuz as Iran has threatened to stop the flow of oil through it if more sanctions are imposed on the nation.
"The U.S. Joint Force will be smaller and leaner, but its great strength will be that it is more agile, flexible, ready to deploy, innovative and technologically advanced," added the secretary. "The U.S. military will increase its institutional weight and focus on enhanced presence, power projection, and deterrence in Asia-Pacific."
He said the Army and Marine Corps will no longer be needed to support the kind of large-scale engagements that have dominated military priorities over the past decade, when the U.S. was caught up with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But he did not elaborate on how his department will cut its budget or on the size of expected troop cuts, saying Obama will probably release details shortly after his State of the Union Address on Jan. 24.
The Budget Control Act requires the U.S. to reduce defense spending by $487 billion over 10 years.
Meanwhile, Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, defended the new military strategy, a result of Obama's in-depth discussions with military officials and outside experts, calling it inclusive and comprehensive.
"It's not perfect," the general said. "There will be people who think it goes too far. Others will say it doesn't go nearly far enough.
That probably makes it about right. It gives us what we need. This is a real strategy. It represents real choices. And I am here today to assure you it has real buy-in among our senior military and civilian leadership. This is not the strategy of a military in decline. This is a strategy -- and a Joint Force -- on which the nation can depend."