Reports: Gates Will Remain at Pentagon

Defense secretary wants to close Gitmo, focus on Afghanistan

(NEWSER) - Assuming he keeps his job, Robert Gates will have a transformed set of instructions come Jan. 20: Once charged with winning the war in Iraq, the defense secretary will now have to end it. But Gates and Barack Obama have substantial agreements about the nation's military strategy, the New York Times reports, from shifting more troops to Afghanistan to shutting down Guantanamo. More»

(NEWSER) - Conventional wisdom has it that Barack Obama will ask Robert Gates to keep his post as Secretary of Defense, but there’s no conventional wisdom about how wise that is. “It has more minuses than pluses,” opines one ex-Pentagon official, but others disagree. Some pros and cons:

• Gates would ensure a smooth wartime transition. (But that’s what the uniformed military leaders who actually run the war are for, and why they’re not appointed.)

Defense Secretary fulfill talk of bipartisan cabinet

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama and Robert Gates are negotiating policy issues with a view toward Gates remaining Defense secretary, the Financial Times reports, a move that would make the Bush appointee a key member of a bipartisan cabinet that resembles Abraham Lincoln's “team of rivals.” Gates, a former CIA chief, is respected for being tough, but in a less abrasive manner than predecessor Donald Rumsfeld. More»

But Bush secretary opposes setting a timeline to leave Iraq

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama is considering asking Robert Gates to stay on as defense secretary, advisers tell the Wall Street Journal. Gates, considered a competent and nonpartisan pragmatist, was brought on to patch things up after Donald Rumsfeld’s tenure at the Pentagon. But while Gates, like Obama, supports an increased presence in Afghanistan, he opposes a commitment to withdraw from Iraq by 2010—a key campaign promise. More»

Gays outed by third parties won't be prosecuted

(NEWSER) - The military will no longer aggressively pursue disciplinary action against gay service members who are outed by a third party, the Pentagon will announce today. Under the new policy, gay personnel would face discharge only if they go public themselves on their sexual orientation. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, will also announce the creation of a group to investigate how to integrate openly gay members into the armed forces—a process expected to take a year. More»