US new strategy to protect defence industrial base

WASHINGTON: Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said the Pentagon's new military strategy would protect critical investments in special operations forces, new intelligence technologies, and cyberspace and unmanned vehicles, even as the overall defence budget declined.

He also said the department, under the new strategy, would "make every effort to maintain an adequate industrial base and our investment in science and technology."

Panetta said the Pentagon would be "prudent with its 'seed corn,'" balancing required reductions with the need to sustain innovative developments that could provide significant long-term payoffs.

The department did not spell out specific cutbacks or programs that would see increased investment.