Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is considering drastic cuts in military spending, including slashing retirement benefits and a round of base closings. Panetta has been ordered to cut more than $450 billion of the Pentagon budget over the next decade and has been under intense political pressure to make the cuts. The yearly defense budget has doubled since the 9/11 attacks. Panetta said it is possible to reshape the military in order to reduce the budget while still defending national interests.

The death of Moammar Gadhafi and the capture of Sirte brings to close a prolonged struggle between the Gadhafi regime and Libya's pro-democracy rebels, ending an years of conflict and clearing the way for a new era of rebuilding, with challenges of its own. With the fall of a ruler who has been in power for more than four decades, Libya in many ways will be starting from scratch. Mike Newton, an international law professor at Vanderbilt University Law School, has been acting as a legal adviser to the Libyan rebels. Former Assistant Secretary of Defense Larry Korb is a fellow at the Center for American Progress. They both weigh in on Libya's future.

Federal authorities are still on alert after news of a "specific, credible" terrorist threat for New York City and the District of Columbia broke on Thursday night, as the tenth anniversary of September 11 approached. The memorial service at Ground Zero still went on as promised Sunday, with thousands of people coming to the site to pay tribute to those who died and those who survived in the 9/11 attacks. Meanwhile, on Saturday the Taliban took credit for a suicide bomb attack on NATO forces in eastern Afghanistan, injuring at least 80 people.

The world has been watching Libya, after rebel forces entered and took control of the capital city of Tripoli Sunday night, attempting to oust Col. Moammar Gadhafi, who is still at large. The streets of Tripoli yesterday were a mix of celebrations and gunfire, as rebels and Gadhafi loyalists faced off. CNN reporter Matthew Chance said last night that he saw Gadhafi's son, Seif al-Islam, at the Rixos Hotel in Tripoli. Seif al-Islam said that all of his family, including his father, was in Tripoli, and that the rebel's claims of capturing them were false. 

The military carried out the attack on Osama Bin Laden, which resulted in his death late last night. Former Assistant Secretary of Defense and defense analyst at the Center for American Progess Larry Korb speaks with us about how the military carried out this operation. 

The budget remains the hot button issue in Washington, and cuts all across the board appear likely, except for defense. Military spending makes up approximately 20 percent of the federal budget, and will likely exceed $700 billion in 2011 — that's 40 percent of the world's total military spending. Where does all that money go to? Larry Korb, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, and former Assistant Secretary of Defense under the Reagan administration explains.

President Obama made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Friday. The trip comes one year after ordering a surge of 30,000 additional troops into the fray; but also on the heels of the the deadliest year to date for U.S. forces in the region. In 2010 over 450 U.S. troops were killed, pushing the total number of forces killed to over 1,300. This has lead many to wonder: can we  win the war in Afghanistan? And what does "win" mean in the current conflict?

A federal judge in California overturned the 17 year old policy that affects the ability of gay men and lesbians to serve in the military late on Thursday. Judge Virginia A. Phillips ruled the policy known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" unconstitutional, saying the rule violates the rights of gay people and has a "direct and deleterious effect" on the military. Don't Ask, Don't Tell bars gay people in the armed services from disclosing their sexual orientations.

Judge Phillips said she would issue an injunction barring the government from enforcing the rule. Legal observers expect the decision to be stayed pending an appeal.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal said that NATO forces have stopped the Taliban's momentum, but no one is winning the war. And as attacks this week on U.S. and NATO forces in Kabul and at Bagram Air Base indicate, there are still tremendous challenges ahead. We look specifically at the offensive in Marjah to see if the U.S. strategy is working.

• NUCLEAR TAKEOUT:  In Prague today, President Obama signs a treaty signaling a "New START" for the nuclear non-proliferation era. Is this a groundbreaking event or a mere photo op?  Larry Korb, who served as the assistant secretary of defense under the Reagan Administration, offers us his informed analysis.
• KYRGYZSTAN: A popular uprising in the Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan has boiled over into a coup. Alexander Cooley, political scientist at Columbia University's Harriman Institute, explains.

President Obama made a surprise visit to Afghanistan Sunday, during which he spoke to American troops and had a meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. To the troops, Obama said his "main job here today is to say thank you on behalf of the entire American people." The visit comes days after the president announced a nuclear deal with Russia and as Iraq forms a new government. How is the Obama administration's foreign policy evolving in its second year?

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will visit Afghanistan today. His visit has strategists around the world scratching their heads as they try to discern his agenda.

Hot on the heels of a recently-released report in which Afghanistan commander General McChrystal said the U.S. mission in Afghanistan "will likely result in failure" without calling up additional troops, President Obama hit the talk show circuit expressing concern about sending more troops. How are these mixed messages playing out for those about to be deployed?

Kristen L. Rouse is a first lieutenant in the Army National Guard and recently found out she would be deployed for a second tour in Afghanistan. Mary Galeti's husband Russell is also soon to be deployed to Afghanistan. They join us with their thoughts on the continued U.S. presence in Afghanistan. We're also joined by Larry Korb, former Assistant Secretary of Defense under Ronald Reagan and now a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and a senior advisor for the Center for Defense Information.

Robert McNamara died early this Monday morning. McNamara served as Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War under both Presidents Johnson and Kennedy from 1961 to 1968. McNamara later admitted tearfully that America's pursuit of the Vietnam War had been "terribly wrong." Joining The Takeaway to discuss the man and his legacy is Larry Korb, a former Assistant Secretary of Defense, who has known McNamara for over two decades.

Here's Robert McNamara reminiscing about his life and legacy in the film "The Fog of War":

In continuing analysis of the new U.S. military offensive against Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, The Takeaway is joined by Lawrence Korb, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress. He was also the Assistant Secretary of Defense from 1981 through 1985.

Five years ago, then-General Eric Shinseki made headlines for clashing with the Bush administration on Iraq war policy. His now-famous statement on the numbers of soldiers required for the Iraq was belittled and eventually he was ousted over it. Fast forward to today, where he's expected to have a smooth Senate confirmation hearing in his bid to lead the Veterans Affairs Department under Barack Obama. For more, we go to Larry Korb, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and former assistant Secretary of Defense in the Reagan administration.