JOINT BASE ANDREWS, UNITED STATES
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta steps off the aircraft after returning from NATO meetings in Brussels,...
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta (C) steps off the aircraft after returning from NATO meetings in Brussels, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland February 22, 2013. European defence cuts and U.S. budget gridlock are jeopardising NATO's effectiveness, Panetta warned on Friday. Leaving his last NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels, Panetta joined those warning of the effects of deep defence cuts in many Western countries and said it would be an "irresponsible act of political dysfunction" if the U.S. Congress permitted sweeping across-the-board defence cuts to take place. REUTERS/Chip Somodevilla/Pool (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY)