Leon Panetta actually said...
Enabling our foreign partners to provide for their own security and contribute to multilateral security efforts is an investment that pays immediate and long-term dividends by reducing the need for costlier U.S. interventions in response to turmoil in regions critical to U.S. interests.
Context
Panetta emphasizes the importance of foreign partnerships in security to minimize U.S. military interventions.
02/14/2011