Obama Administration Robert Gates

gates israeli minister of defense ehud barak @ pentagon in 2009.

on december 1, 2008, president-elect obama announced robert gates remain in position secretary of defense during administration, reportedly @ least first year of obama s presidency. gates fourteenth cabinet member in history serve under 2 presidents of different parties, , first secretary of defense. 1 of first priorities under president barack obama s administration gates review of u.s. policy , strategy in afghanistan. gates, sixth in presidential line of succession, selected designated survivor during obama s inauguration. on march 1, 2009, told david gregory on meet press not commit how long serve secretary of defense implied not serve entire first term.

while gates continued troop withdrawals in iraq, had begun in bush administration, implemented rapid, limited surge of troops in afghanistan in 2009. robert gates removed general david d. mckiernan command in afghanistan on may 6, 2009 , replaced him general stanley a. mcchrystal. washington post called rare decision remove wartime commander . washington post described replacement 1 of several replacements of generals represented traditional army generals have pressed use of counter-insurgency tactics .

in december 2009 gates visited afghanistan following president barack obama s announcement of deployment of 30,000 additional personnel against taliban insurgency.

gates afghan president hamid karzai in march 2011

time magazine notes gates , u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton have forged formidable partnership , speaking frequently, comparing notes before go white house , meeting each other weekly , having lunch once month @ either pentagon or state department.

in march 2010 speech nato conference in washington, secretary gates said demilitarization of europe—where large swaths of general public , political class averse military force , risks go it—has gone blessing in 20th century impediment achieving real security , lasting peace in 21st .

gates announced in february 2010 department lift ban on women serving on submarines. gates prepared armed forces repeal of don t ask, don t tell policy. since repeal in 2010, homosexuals able serve in military openly. in service of goal, announced in late march 2010 approval of new regulations make more difficult kick gays out of military. gates called guideline changes, went effect immediately, matter of common sense , common decency important improvement allowing pentagon apply current law in fairer , more appropriate manner. pentagon s legal counsel, jeh johnson, said new regulations no means moratorium on current law , stressed cases move forward under new standards.

gates sitting obama, biden, , u.s. national security team gathered in situation room monitor progress of operation neptune spear.

gates photographed in white house situation room photograph taken on may 1, 2011 pete souza.

in august 2010, speaking foreign policy magazine secretary gates said remain secretary of defense until 2011 , retire. think mistake wait until january 2012, said. not kind of job want fill in spring of election year.

gates officially retired secretary of defense on july 1, 2011 , presented presidential medal of freedom, nation s highest civilian award, president obama during retirement ceremony.

fiscal restraint

gates tenure obama administration included huge shift in military spending. in april 2009, gates proposed large shift in budget priorities in u.s. department of defense 2010 budget. budget cuts included many programs geared toward conventional warfare, such end of new orders of f-22 raptor, , further development of future combat systems manned vehicles. however, these cuts counterbalanced increases in funding programs special forces. gates called nation s first 21st century defense budget. in late april 2010, suggested navy cease funding development of new multibillion-dollar ballistic missile submarine program on grounds of cost , relevancy. has suggested hundreds of billions of dollars better spent on new generation of vessels tailored threats , tactics more faced, noting, mark words, navy , marine corps must willing re-examine , question basic assumptions in light of evolving technologies, new threats , budget realities. in speech made on may 8, 2010, gates stated make politically unpopular cuts pentagon bureaucracy in future budgets.

the attacks of sept. 11, 2001, opened gusher of defense spending doubled base budget on last decade. . . military spending on things large , small can , should expect closer, harsher scrutiny. gusher has been turned off, , stay off period of time.

gates speaks navy seal trainees, nab coronado, california, 2010

it announced in august 2010 gates trying find $100 billion in defense savings through 2015, in order in-still culture of savings , restraint in military. secretary gates said important not repeat mistakes of past, tough economic times or winding down of military campaign leads steep , unwise reductions in defense, . gates said matter of principle , political reality, department of defense cannot expect america s elected representatives approve budget increases each year unless doing job, indeed possible, make every dollar count . these cuts included closing of joint forces command, redundancy of fifty general , admirals, , removal of 150 senior civilian positions.

nato comments

on january 16, 2008, gates quoted in los angeles times saying nato forces in southern afghanistan not know how combat guerrilla insurgency , contributing rising violence in country. netherlands , united kingdom protested.

in june 10, 2011 speech in brussels, before nato, gates again stated other nato members must more united states tackles budget deficit. said bluntly that

in past, ve worried openly nato turning two-tiered alliance: between members specialize in soft humanitarian, development, peacekeeping , talking tasks, , conducting hard combat missions. between willing , able pay price , bear burdens of alliance commitments, , enjoy benefits of nato membership—be security guarantees or headquarters billets—but don t want share risks , costs. no longer hypothetical worry. there today. , unacceptable. blunt reality there dwindling appetite , patience in u.s. congress—and in american body politic writ large—to expend increasingly precious funds on behalf of nations apparently unwilling devote necessary resources or make necessary changes serious , capable partners in own defense. nations apparently willing , eager american taxpayers assume growing security burden left reductions in european defense budgets. indeed, if current trends in decline of european defense capabilities not halted , reversed, future u.s. political leaders—those whom cold war not formative experience me—may not consider return on america s investment in nato worth cost.