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NEWS ABOUT: Robert Gates

Gates: After 2014, US Should Stay Involved in Afghanistan

Officials agree on engagement beyond deadline, says defense secretary

(Newser) - Both the US and Afghanistan agree that the US military should maintain its involvement with Afghanistan past 2014 by continuing to train and advise Afghan troops, said Defense Secretary Robert Gates. “Obviously it would be a small fraction of the presence that we have today, but I think we're... More »

Gates to Army: No More Wars Like Iraq

US must dial down 'controversial large-scale military intervention'

(Newser) - Will the US ever undertake another war like the ones in Iraq and Afghanistan? Not if Defense Secretary Robert Gates has his way. “In my opinion, any future defense secretary who advises the president to again send a big American land army into Asia or into the Middle East... More »

Female Vets Sue Pentagon Over Sex Abuse

Lawsuit says rape is rampant, but ignored by commanders

(Newser) - Seventeen current and former service members, all but two of them female, have filed a class-action lawsuit against the military alleging that systemic sexual abuse is rampant among the troops but ignored by commanders. "There are three types of women in the Army,” one of the female victims... More »

Obama Resurrects Gitmo Military Trials

Move an admission that detention center is here to stay

(Newser) - President Obama has given Robert Gates the go-ahead to initiate new military commissions against Guantanamo detainees—something Obama originally banned on the first day of his presidency. Within weeks one or more detainees may face new charges—the Justice Department has already designated some prisoners for military tribunal, including suspected... More »

North Korean Missiles Could Hit US: Robert Gates

China, meanwhile, thumbs nose at US with stealth fighter test

(Newser) - North Korea could be a direct threat to the US within five years, with intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of delivering a nuclear warhead across the ocean, Robert Gates said today. “I don’t think it’s an immediate threat,” Gates said, according to the New York Times , “... More »

Pentagon Plans a Rarity: No More Budget Increases

Gates says they won't be necessary by 2015

(AP) - For the first time in more than a decade defined by costly wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Pentagon announced plans today to freeze its budget, forcing the military to shrink the Army and Marines and increase health care premiums for troops and their families. The Pentagon says it can... More »

Pentagon to Slash $100B From Budget

Weapons systems in development to be axed

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates is set to unveil details of some $100 billion in Pentagon spending cuts, sources tell Reuters . The savings, which could be announced as early as Thursday, are expected to include cuts to some weapons programs, including the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle, a 40-ton landing craft being developed... More »

Advocates to Military Gays: Don't Come Out Yet

Gays can still be investigated, discharged during transition

(Newser) - The Pentagon's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy concerning gays might be dead, but don't be too quick to come out of the military closet, advocates are warning gays. "While the immediate impact of this bill may inspire folks from across the nation, it is important to note that... More »

Pentagon: Hurry Up on DADT

Better for Congress, not courts, to repeal it: Gates

(Newser) - Top military brass are calling on Congress to quickly repeal "Don’t Ask Don’t Tell"—before the courts overturn the policy, potentially ordering changes that military leaders consider too fast or poorly thought-out. “If this law is going to change, it's better to be changed by... More »

Gates: Repeal 'Don't Ask' ASAP

...Before Republicans take over

(Newser) - Robert Gates wants Congress to repeal the law preventing gays from openly serving in the military as quickly as possible—before Republicans take over in January and prevent it from happening at all. “I would like to see the repeal of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,... More »

Pentagon Asks Media Not to Publish WikiLeaks' Iraq Files

Pushes against distribution of war material

(AP) - The Defense Department is asking media organizations not to publish or post on websites classified US war files released by WikiLeaks. The department has been bracing for a possible leak of as many as many as 400,000 documents from a military database on the Iraq war. The documents are... More »

US Backs Taliban Talks

Clinton: 'Stranger things have happened'

(Newser) - Western nations seem to be quickly warming to the idea of talking peace with the Taliban. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who only last month said talks would be premature, backed the idea at a NATO meeting yesterday, the AP reports. "Whenever opportunities arise that are worth exploring, I think... More »

Gates: Don't End DADT Abruptly

This is a job for Congress, not the courts, he says

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates says an abrupt end to 'Dont' Ask, Don't Tell' could have "enormous consequences" for American troops. He didn't answer directly when asked by the Washington Post whether the government should appeal a worldwide injunction stopping enforcement of the policy, but said that the Pentagon should... More »

Gates Challenges Elite Students to Join Military

Defense chief: 'Instead of J Crew, they wear body armor'

(Newser) - Defense chief Robert Gates wants students from prestigious universities to join the military, arguing that more of the country's "best and brightest" need to step up. In a speech to Duke University students, Gates praised those who do choose to serve, reports Politico . “Instead of wearing J. Crew,... More »

Gates, Russian Counterpart Look to Downsize Militaries

Full-day meeting seeks ways to cut waste

(Newser) - Robert Gates today becomes the first US defense secretary to show his Russian counterpart around in almost six years, devoting an entire day to Anatoly Serdyukov, the New York Times reports. The two men are looking for common ground on a topic that would have been unthinkable during the Cold... More »

Gates Plans to Retire in 2011

Unless he changes his mind again

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates has always hated Washington, and he plans to get the heck out sometime next year, he revealed today in a lengthy interview with Fred Kaplan for Foreign Policy . “I think that it would be a mistake to wait until January 2012,” he reasons. “... More »

McChrystal to Teach at Yale

Ex-General eschews defense industry, politics

(Newser) - Stanley McChrystal has landed on his feet, with a new teaching position at Yale. He’ll be heading up a course on leadership at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, alongside such notable names as former US ambassador John Negroponte and former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo, Politico reports. Apparently people... More »

Top Brass in Huff Over Pentagon Cutbacks

Move to end 'brass creep' ruffles feathers

(Newser) - Four-star military commanders have joined the ranks of Americans worried about keeping their jobs. Defense Secretary Robert Gates made it clear when he announced Pentagon cutbacks this week that he plans to reduce "brass creep" in the military, and the decision has ruffled many feathers in the top ranks,... More »

Pentagon Slashing Thousands of Jobs

Gates to ax Joint Forces Command

(Newser) - "No sacred cows" are safe from the budget ax as the Pentagon seeks to trim spending, Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned yesterday as he announced massive cuts. Reductions include the closure of Joint Forces Command, which employs some 5,000 people, and a 10% reduction in the budget for... More »

WikiLeaks May Have Blood on Its Hands: Mullen

Gates, Mullen warn Afghan leak will do great harm to US, allies

(Newser) - Julian Assange et al "might already have on their hands the blood of some young soldier or that of an Afghan family," because of the massive leak of Afghan war records, Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen told reporters at the Pentagon yesterday. Mullen and Defense Secretary Robert... More »

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