Pentagon warns of military weakness

REDUCTION OF RISK A classified report says that deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq and other factors raise the specter of a compromised response to new conflict

AP , WASHINGTON

His report will also reflect his drumbeat for the use of more "soft power" to defeat terror, which includes the greater use of civilians in areas such as political development, communications and training.

Pentagon leaders argue that nontraditional conflicts, such as the insurgents and terrorists facing coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, will be the main military challenges for years to come.

Defeating them, the leaders say, will require more than military hardware.