Obama, McCain agree on much on defense

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Experts say major presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama have a similar overall vision for the U.S. military but differ on specifics.

"Temperamentally, Senators Obama and McCain are very different on defense," Loren Thompson, a defense analyst with the conservative Lexington Institute, told McClatchy News Service. "But when you read the details of their defense positions, they are remarkably similar. Both want to bolster intelligence, focus on counter-terrorism, reduce big-ticket weapons systems and crack down on defense contracts."

Both men want to increase the size of U.S. ground forces, the Army and Marines, although McCain's numbers are somewhat larger. Both have said they are worried about the departure of non-commissioned officers who have had to endure rotating deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

McCain appears more aggressive, wanting to keep U.S. forces in Iraq indefinitely while emulating the "surge" in Afghanistan. Obama has said he would withdraw combat forces from Iraq in order to increase the size of the U.S. contingent in Afghanistan.

While McCain has talked about using military force in Iran if necessary, Obama talks about negotiations to end its nuclear ambitions.