Tag: US Military

Obama: Military to remain backbone of America’s leadership As the United States prepares to remove its combat forces from Afghanistan after almost 13 years, President Barack Obama said Wednesday that the US military remains at the core of America’s ability to influence changes abroad. And while the commander-in-chief added at the Military Academy at West Point’s graduating ceremony Wednesday morning that the Pentagon reserves the power to launch unilateral attacks when America’s interests are directly threatened, Obama urged Congress during his remarks to earmark billions to assist allied nations combating terrorism and other major threats in lieu of relying on American force in those instances, as was done in Afghanistan and Iraq. Instead, Obama said, the US should lead by example within the international arena without creating any precedents that would pave the way for other nations to use established militaries or armed militias to further worsen tensions in the volatile regions where the US is observing from abroad.