US Calls for NATO Cooperation in Time of Austerity

 　　U.S. Defense¹ Secretary Leon Panetta has warned NATO countries the U.S. may not be able to sustain operations like those in Libya and Afghanistan as it tries to deal with its own budget problems.

　　Panetta arrived in Brussels to attend his first NATO ministerial conference as Secretary of Defense.  He brought a careful but clear message:  that the United States can may no longer be able to make up for gaps that its NATO allies have had in carrying out missions like those in Libya and Afghanistan.

　　Panetta said the two operations exposed gaps that the United States had to fill, especially in the area of  intelligence and reconnaissance and midair refueling.  He said the gaps have been exposed at a time when NATO nations are facing, cuts in their defense budgets, and the U.S. - facing more than 450 billion dollars in cuts - may no longer be in a position to offset² the shortfalls.

　　"There are legitimate³ questions about whether, if present trends continue, NATO will again be able to sustain the kind of operations we have seen in Libya and Afghanistan without the United States taking on even more of a burden. It would be a tragic⁴ outcome if the alliance shed the very capabilities⁵ that allowed it to successfully conduct these operations," he said.

　　The alliance depends entirely⁶ on the United States for drones and other expensive capabilities.

　　NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said it is vital for allies to improve their capabilities to face future challenges and do so on a tighter budget.

　　He said that in this age of austerity, the allies will have to find ways to get more out of their defense budgets, by joining their resources and sharing the cost of projects.

　　In a separate development, the United States and Spain announced they have an agreement to base warships⁷ equipped with missile interceptors at a Spanish naval⁸ base on the country's southwest Atlantic coast. The move is part of anti-missile system that NATO is setting up to protect Europe against a potential nuclear threat from Iran.

　　Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero joined Secretary Panetta and the NATO chief in announcing the agreement at NATO headquarters late Wednesday.

　　The Spanish leader said Spain will receive this component⁹ of the system due to the country's geostrategic location as a gateway¹⁰ to the Mediterranean¹¹.

　　The Spanish government says four U.S. ships will be home-based at Spain's Rota naval base by 2013 and generate about 1,000 jobs.

　　Secretary Panetta said the announcement should send a very strong signal that the United States is still continuing to invest in the NATO alliance.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

3 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

4 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

5 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

6 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

7 warships   

军舰，战舰( warship的名词复数 )； 舰只

参考例句：

• The enemy warships were disengaged from the battle after suffering heavy casualties. 在遭受惨重伤亡后，敌舰退出了海战。
• The government fitted out warships and sailors for them. 政府给他们配备了战舰和水手。

8 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

9 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

10 gateway   

n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法

参考例句：

• Hard work is the gateway to success.努力工作是通往成功之路。
• A man collected tolls at the gateway.一个人在大门口收通行费。

11 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。