Washington (dpa) - Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said he will maintain a small troop presence in Iraq and Afghanistan if elected and he is not planning a major reduction in the US defence budget.

Speaking to Stars and Stripes, an American military newspaper, Biden said he supports a troop drawdown, "but here’s the problem, we still have to worry about terrorism and [the Islamic State]."

"I think we need special ops capacity to coordinate with our allies," Biden told the newspaper, adding that a maximum number would be 1,500 to 2,000 troops.

Trump has made reducing US troop presence abroad a central campaign issue as he slams "endless" US wars.

Earlier this week the US Central Command said American troops in Iraq will be reduced from 5,200 to 3,000 this month.

Trump has said he will reduce the Afghanistan troop presence from 8,000 to between 4,000 and 5,000 by election day in November.

Biden also said he does not expect to reduce the US defence budget since the military will have to deal with potential threats like Russia and China.