Pentagon cuts: What will the new US military look like?

With the war in Iraq ended, thousands of US troops are expected to be axed under the Pentagon review

The Pentagon strategy review announced by President Barack Obama leaves behind nearly as many questions as answers about what the US military footprint will actually look like in years to come.

Even though the direct budget consequences will not be forthcoming for another month, it is possible to predict who will be on the ground where in the months ahead.

The stated US intention to move away from counter-insurgency theory, land invasions and ground occupations is real.

The trend toward irregular operations featuring special forces, drones and state-of-the-art surveillance technology will accelerate.

The president's 2009 Prague pledge to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in US strategy, and move toward their elimination, will begin to have practical force.

The US footprint in Europe - and elsewhere - will be smaller and more diffuse, but still quite visible.

Heather Hurlburt is executive director of the National Security Network in Washington, DC. From 1995-2001, she served in the Clinton administration as speechwriter to the president, and speechwriter for Secretaries of State Madeline Albright and Warren Christopher.