Gates Outlines Pentagon Reform, New Strategies

In a long article in Foreign Affairs' January/February 2009 issue, Defense Secretary Robert Gates outlines his vision for the next Pentagon. Called "A Balanced Strategy: Reprogramming the Pentagon for a New Age," the piece emphasizes the need to adapt to the changing nature of war, in particular promoting diplomacy and counterinsurgency skills. He also disparages "idealistic" overeagerness to go to war. Some highlights:

What is dubbed the war on terror is, in grim reality, a prolonged, worldwide irregular campaign -- a struggle between the forces of violent extremism and those of moderation. Direct military force will continue to play a role in the long-term effort against terrorists and other extremists. But over the long term, the United States cannot kill or capture its way to victory. Where possible, what the military calls kinetic operations should be subordinated to measures aimed at promoting better governance, economic programs that spur development, and efforts to address the grievances among the discontented, from whom the terrorists recruit. It will take the patient accumulation of quiet successes over a long time to discredit and defeat extremist movements and their ideologies.

As secretary of defense, I have repeatedly made the argument in favor of institutionalizing counterinsurgency skills and the ability to conduct stability and support operations. I have done so not because I fail to appreciate the importance of maintaining the United States' current advantage in conventional war fighting but rather because conventional and strategic force modernization programs are already strongly supported in the services, in Congress, and by the defense industry. The base budget for fiscal year 2009, for example, contains more than $180 billion for procurement, research, and development, the overwhelming preponderance of which is for conventional systems.

I have learned many things in my 42 years of service in the national security arena. Two of the most important are an appreciation of limits and a sense of humility. The United States is the strongest and greatest nation on earth, but there are still limits on what it can do. The power and global reach of its military have been an indispensable contributor to world peace and must remain so. But not every outrage, every act of aggression, or every crisis can or should elicit a U.S. military response.

War is inevitably tragic, inefficient, and uncertain, and it is important to be skeptical of systems analyses, computer models, game theories, or doctrines that suggest otherwise. We should look askance at idealistic, triumphalist, or ethnocentric notions of future conflict that aspire to transcend the immutable principles and ugly realities of war, that imagine it is possible to cow, shock, or awe an enemy into submission, instead of tracking enemies down hilltop by hilltop, house by house, block by bloody block. As General William Tecumseh Sherman said, "Every attempt to make war easy and safe will result in humiliation and disaster."

Read the whole thing.

Comments

[cornagainstsorcery]

I find this heartening.

[Ramirez]

Gates stayed at SecDef in order to make the hard decisions and continue the "long war." His is a thankless job and if things go badly he will be blamed. Conversely, if things work well it will be due to Obama.

[Two Three Four]

It now appears as though 62% of Franken's challenges occur in precincts he is currently winning. Coleman's percentage slipped from 50.8% to 49.4% with the inclusion of the newly posted data.

http://voteforamerica.net/editorials/Comments.aspx?ArticleId=171&ArticleName=Al+Franken+Holds+An+Interesting+Lead

[Ramirez]

Newb:

That is interesting but please do not spam it into every thread on the board. Thanks.

[haramagoti]

Another way to put it Mr. Gates: We Were Wrong, We're Sorry, Forgive Us and Maybe We Can Move On Together as a Global Populace towards Peace and Tranquility

I think the US needs to examine it's arms deals to truly mean it's against unnecessary conflict

[Coinyer101]

i recommend gates concentrate on withdrawing forces from iraq and focusing on afghanistan. when the new sec. of def.,[hopefully wesley clark], takes over, then we'll implement a 'new age' for the pentagon. i would prefer our former 'CIA employee' keep his mitts off any long term pentagon 'changes'. just focus on the task at hand. you are not being kept on to reform anything.

[abby4ever]

test

[Teckwreck]

I hope that he is being kept on to reform the military. Gates seems to have escaped the "lay down with dogs, get up with fleas" truism, that effected so many of the Bush team. I am thinking here of Powell. He is outstanding and is the perfect man for the job.

His "shock" and "awe" comment is clearly a signal that he stepped up in a crisis, but was never on board with the principles of the conflicts. He is a military man who respects soldiers, not someone who views the National Guard as cannon fodder, or expendable.

I think the churches should take his remarks and share them with their flock instead of the self-serving crap they have been spewing for years. His views on reconciliation, respect for life, political and religious freedom (yes, even freedom from Jesus), and a clearly stated idea that, “for those to whom much is given, much is required”. These are exactly aligned with my family values.

A wiser military could play an important role in spreading hope. We have seen with the election of Obama, what the promise of hope can bring even in an established democracy.

[Christian]

I see why Obama kept him on, he's great. This is what I wanted to hear and I expected this view from him and am glad to read it finally.

[theone718]

They say Gates will be on for only 1 more year but I see him as SecDef for as long as he feels like it. Truly an impressive individual.

[JePenseDoncJeSuis]

One huge obstacle to Pentagon reform will be the likes of John Murtha. As the chairman of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, he has become known as Mr. Earmark. He literally controls a bigger budget than any other person in the world (although Henry Paulson appears to be gaining on him with all these bailouts). Murtha should have seen his political career end with Abscam, but he wriggled out of that net somehow.

Follow the money. We need to do what McCain advocated and eliminate the cesspool system of earmarks. Push Barack to embrace that policy and we'll see a loosening of the reigns for true reforms like those floated by Gates in his article.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

Agreed Murtha and other powerful congresspeople are the crucial part of the military industrial complex that must be broken. They fight for these cold war weapon systems and fight to keep bases open we just don't need.

[kasv]

I am hopeful that the PE will bring about a "Come to Jesus" epiphany for Murtha in terms of his earmarks, etc. It's obvious that Gates is far more knowledgeable of what is needed military-wise than Murtha, at this point in time. We thank Murtha for his service, but it is time for change from WWII and 'Nam strategy and tactics. Earmark reform and a line item veto are in order as well.

[JePenseDoncJeSuis]

You do realize that the PE has not exactly been setting a great example on this front, don't you?

[dryrock]

My read of this is that he knows that being the Most Powerful is not the same as being All Powerful. He seems intelligent and insightful here. I'm giving the guy the benefit of the doubt.

[VictorLudorum]

One that deviance from the original position of use of power is to start fighting insurgery.The region must be left alone to decide amongst but those leaders with washington backing should get a golden handshake or a settlement .So country politics can begin.Animoisties or give and take of positions stay on within parlimentary behavior. The Pentagons censors are again being misused .
There is no war in the region except that is hurting democracy and showing dissaproval for the public of the region to prosper in peace.
Three the tribal issue is least of any concern so far. Even in the Iraqi constitution the kurds got nno real mention and things are drawing back. The iranians Iraqis and turkey have to surrender the Kurdistan and the world must accept that because all the countries with tribal or seperationist issues have so far destroyed themselves.

[Pleneras]

I agree, this article gives an insight to Gates. It was a good move to keep him. And I'm thankful that horrible "Dems are upset with Obama because of what Barney said" is out of the main page on Huff. That was embarassing.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

Franks is an ultra partisan on the left that likes the status quo. Instead of getting things done Franks like his mirror images on the other side of the aisle just want to blame the other side for all our problems rather than being accountable.

[beartrack]

Good article on Gates. Wasn't to hot on the idea of him staying but, feel a little better about him now. Let's give it some time to see how the pull-out of Iraq goes. That will be the first test.

[imsosure]

The establishment needs to wake up and get to work. In my experience these bureaucracies are so heavy with people who think they don't have to actually produce any work everyday that when as is now the case and we need their support, they have nearly no idea of what we expect them to do. No surprise when you watch them patting each other on the back and puffing each other up for their incompetence and behaving as if they are actually performing when in reality no, they are not, they are passing the buck, blaming and complaining. They need to be rooted out and replaced, the sooner the better as they will only get in and be in the way of any serious work as of the type required for our current situation.

[Quick2822]

Reading this about Gates gives me a better feeling about him.

[Shadow08]

He will be reforming the penatgon, and HIllary Clinton will be assembling a new diplomatic corp.
Add Joe Biden's experience and global contacts and the future could be very promising.

[mynameismimi]

The Secretary of Defense is a man who is learned and articulate, and it appears, a man who strives for grace and nobility in his position of awesome power. Bush and Cheney scorned him for years, only bringing him into the loop at the end of their tenure because they have finally figured out that the history books are going to treat them like the miserable "enemy within" that they have been. Gates' appointment was an eleventh hour attempt to present a more reasonable Presidency, but rather than heeding his advice, they've used him as an ornament.

Well,it appears that PE Obama has been paying attention to his writings, and he wisely requested that he continue to serve and actually advise. The weight of the world rests on these two pairs of shoulders and, for the first time in eight years, there will be both gray matter above them and hearts below.

[Shadow08]

He agreed with Obama about talks with Iran when it was a very unpopular thing to articulate in public. I had to respect that.