Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R) and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) wave as Ryan is announced as his vice presidential running mate aboard the USS Wisconsin August 11, 2012 in Norfolk, Virginia. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (AP) - For the first time in decades, the Republican team running for the White House has little substantial foreign policy or military experience.
It's a marked shift for a party that has long sought to project strength on those issues. But it may not hurt Mitt Romney, a successful businessman, and Paul Ryan, a congressional budget expert, in an election dominated by sluggish economic growth and high unemployment.
Still, intense voter focus on the economy doesn't diminish the series of pressing foreign policy concerns that could still shake up the race before November and will be necessary priorities for whoever wins the White House.
Romney's campaign says Ryan boosts the GOP team's foreign policy credentials because of his congressional experience working on international trade issues and the defense budget.
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