CBS

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee says Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney doesn't know what he's talking about when he criticizes President Barack Obama's proposed cuts in military spending.

Democratic Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan said Tuesday that Romney's criticism "runs headlong" into the position of the nation's military leaders who have endorsed the budget.

Speaking to reporters, Levin said if Romney accuses the president of being weak on defense, he would have to make the same argument about the military leaders, undercutting his credibility.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta unveiled a budget last week that slows the growth of military spending, including cutting the size of the Army and Marine Corps. Romney says Obama has the nation on course toward a hollow force.