Panetta makes first Asia trip as Defense chief

FILE - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, in this Oct. 13, 2011 file photo, before the House Armed Services Committee. Panetta departs Friday Oct. 21, 2011 and stops first in Bali, Indonesia, to attend a meeting Sunday of defense ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

FILE - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, in this Oct. 13, 2011 file photo, before the House Armed Services Committee. Panetta departs Friday Oct. 21, 2011 and stops first in Bali, Indonesia, to attend a meeting Sunday of defense ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

BALI, Indonesia (AP) ? U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is in Indonesia's resort island of Bali to begin his first visit to Asia as Pentagon chief.

Panetta arrived Saturday on an overnight flight from Washington and will begin a series of meetings Sunday.

He told reporters flying with him that his main message in talks with Indonesian and other Asian leaders is that the United States intends to remain a "Pacific force" for decades to come.

An important backdrop to Panetta's weeklong Asia tour is the intense pressure at home to slash defense spending as part of a deficit-reduction effort.

Panetta will also visit Japan and South Korea.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-10-22-Panetta-Asia/id-4a44a89c110244359f6c47a9723ca9dc

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