WASHINGTON, July 31 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called for shifting focus from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to a broader fight against terrorism in a new defense blueprint revealed Thursday.

    The shift of strategy is contained in the new National Defense Strategy approved by Gates in June and was first reported by the Washington Post on July 31.

    The document said the U.S. military must master irregular warfare tactics and partner with Russia and China.

    Gates wrote in it that "Iraq and Afghanistan remains the central fronts in the struggle, but we cannot lose sight of the implications of fighting a long-term, episodic, multi-front, and multidimensional conflict more complex and diverse than the Cold War."

    He said the blueprint was written for the next White House occupant.

    However, experts said the document will likely be overtaken by events as the new administration will surely craft a new defense plan.