US will use military force, unilaterally if necessary: Barack Obama

NEW YORK: President Barack Obama today said the US will use military force, unilaterally if needed, when its core interests demand it - when Americans are threatened or when the security of its allies is in danger.

International opinion in such circumstances matters but "America should never ask permission to protect our people, our homeland, or our way of life," he said.

"The United States will use military force, unilaterally if necessary, when our core interests demand it - when our people are threatened; when our livelihood is at stake; or when the security of our allies is in danger.

"In these circumstances, we still need to ask tough questions about whether our action is proportional, effective and just. International opinion matters.

"But America should never ask permission to protect our people, our homeland, or our way of life," said the US President at the graduation ceremony of the elite Military Academy in West Point, New York.

It is America that the world looks to for help, for it is the one indispensable nation, he said.

"Here's my bottom line: America must always lead on the world stage. If we don't, no one else will," Obama said.

A day after he announced to pull out all the troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2016, Obama, however, reiterated in a major foreign policy speech that military intervention is not the solution to all problems.

"The military that you have joined is, and always will be, the backbone of that leadership. But US military action cannot be the only - or even primary - component of our leadership in every instance. Just because we have the best hammer does not mean that every problem is a nail," he said.

"Because the costs associated with military action are so high, you should expect every civilian leader - and especially your Commander-in-Chief - to be clear about how that awesome power should be used," he added.

On the other hand, when issues of global concern that do not pose a direct threat to the US are at stake - when crises arise that stir conscience or push the world in a more dangerous direction - then the threshold for military action must be higher, he asserted.

"In such circumstances, we should not go it alone. Instead, we must mobilise allies and partners to take collective action.