Pentagon plans new arms to meet rivals
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-02-05 09:37

The new capability could include manned or unmanned bombers as well as directed-energy weapons such as lasers. The Air Force Air Combat Command began a yearlong analysis of options for such a capability in October.

The plan called for increasing the number of aircraft carriers in the Pacific to five or six and maintaining 60 percent of Navy submarines there, while doubling to two the number of attack submarines bought annually by 2012.

The Pentagon cited what it called the uncertain nature of threats in the post-September 11 world.

"More than on September 10th, 2001, I can tell you now that U.S. forces in all probability will be engaged somewhere in the world in the next decade where they're not currently engaged," senior Pentagon policy official Ryan Henry told reporters.

The document said North Korea was developing nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and sending weapons overseas. It cited Iran for developing long-range missiles and taking steps toward producing nuclear weapons.

To combat terrorist networks, it said the Pentagon will increase special-operations forces 15 percent from the current 52,000 and boost the number of special forces battalions by a third. These forces, a favorite of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, are more highly trained and capable of taking on more sensitive missions than regular forces.

The document called for creating a military task force to keep terrorist groups from obtaining weapons of mass destruction, and spending $1.5 billion over five years to develop medical countermeasures to germ warfare agents.

The plan would increase purchases of unmanned aircraft like the Predator and the Global Hawk drones, nearly doubling such surveillance capabilities. It also would expand psychological operations and civil affairs units by a third.