AP

Navy Vice Adm. William H. McRaven (C) is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington. Picture: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

As traditional military operations are cut back, the Pentagon is moving to expand the worldwide reach of the US Special Operations Command to strike wherever threats arise.

On Thursday, the Pentagon unveiled a 2013 budget plan that would cut $487 billion (R3.8 trillion) in spending over the next decade by eliminating almost 100 000 ground troops, mothballing ships and trimming air squadrons in a bid to create a smaller, agile force with a new strategic focus.

The size of the active-duty army would be trimmed to 490 000 over five years from its wartime peak of 570 000 in 2010 and the size of the Marine Corps would fall to 182 000 from its high of about 202 000.

The funding request, which includes cuts that will be felt across the country, comes at a historic turning point for the military as it winds down 10 years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq and shifts its strategic focus to the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East.

The budget plan, sharply criticised by some lawmakers, sets the stage for a new struggle between President Barack Obama’s administration and Congress over how much the Pentagon should spend on national security as the country tries to curb its trillion-dollar budget deficits.

The Pentagon would boost its emphasis on special operations forces like those who carried out the raid in Pakistan that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden last year and rescued two aid workers this week from pirates in Somalia.

It would also increase its emphasis on cyber operations, expand its work on drone aircraft, go ahead with a long-range bomber and proceed with other weapons that would allow it to project power from a greater distance.

The plan was formulated by special operations chief Admiral Bill McRaven to push troops that are withdrawing from war zones to reinforce special operations units in areas somewhat neglected during the decade-long focus on al-Qaeda.

McRaven started working on the plan last year.

The stepped-up global network would put top special operations personnel closer to the problems they face.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the details of the proposal are still being worked out.

The idea tracks with the White House goal to transform the US military into a smaller, more agile force, able to respond to a wide variety of threats beyond traditional military enemies, often in partnership with local allies.

Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has said funding for special operations and intelligence gathering will increase. Both are emerging as Obama’s preferred way to confront many global threats, after a decade of costly land invasions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The embrace of the plan shows how the politically savvy McRaven has turned the chaos of defence cuts and his personal star power from leading last year’s Bin Laden raid into an opportunity to step up the Special Operations Command’s reach and authority.

Technically, the special operations command has limited authority to respond to worldwide threats, only taking charge of individual operations if directed by the president or secretary of defence. The strengthened overseas network could serve as a practical first step to give McRaven a greater say in those overseas operations.

Rather than adding troops to the overall force, McRaven wants the autonomy to quickly dispatch some of the units where they are needed. Right now, such moves have to filter through a bureaucratic process, which can delay deploying extra special operations troops or assets where they are needed by weeks or months, according to a US official familiar with the process.

Those troops could carry out raids or, more likely, work with local allies to teach them how to target regional enemies, as well as fostering long-term relationships, soldier-to-soldier, that can help defuse a crisis or coup years later. – Sapa-AP, Reuters