Obama vows to continue to invest in military

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama on Monday vowed to continue to invest to strengthen the U.S. military, increase ground forces and ensure success against al Qaeda and the Taliban.

Announcing his national security team, Obama said Defence Secretary Robert Gates had agreed to remain in office, and reiterated his intention to announce a new mission as soon as he took office to end the ear in Iraq.

"We will also ensure that we have the strategy -- and resources -- to succeed against al Qaeda and the Taliban," Obama told a news conference. "And going forward, we will continue to make the investments necessary to strengthen our military and increase our ground forces to defeat the threats of the 21st century."

(Andrea.Shalal-Esa@thomsonreuters.com)