Ten years ago Sunday, President George W. Bush announced that Iran, Iraq and North Korea were "the axis of evil." Now, American-Iranian relations may be at their lowest level since the Islamic Republic was born. Host Rachel Martin talks with NPR's Mike Shuster and Karim Sadjadpour of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The Pentagon has announced plans to cut the Army and Marines Corps by tens of thousands of troops over the next five years to meet budget targets set by Congress. In some respects, the plan reflects a return to normalcy after 10 years of war.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced cuts in the Pentagon budget on Thursday. Robert Siegel talks to NPR's Tom Bowman for more.

For the president, commando raids and drone attacks are part of a new focus on "low-cost, small presence" military tactics. There have been several recent successes, though analysts are still debating the legality and long-term effectiveness.

More than two dozen commandoes from the Navy's SEAL Team 6 swept into an encampment in northern Somalia Tuesday, rescuing American Jessica Buchanan and her Danish colleague some three months after they were taken hostage. The two were in the country as aid workers. The SEALs killed nine of the captors and apprehended three others. NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman tells Robert Siegel the latest.