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Defense Secretary Robert Gates

Obama Considers Smaller Afghanistan Troop Option

AP | ANNE GEARAN and MATTHEW LEE | Posted 10.29.2009 | Politics

Read More: Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Troops, War in Afghanistan, Afghanistan, Us Forces in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, McChrystal Counterinsurgency Plan, Joe Biden, Barack Obama Sending Troops, Barack Obama, Us Troops Afghanistan, Politics News

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is considering sending large numbers of additional U.S. forces to Afghanistan next year but fewer than his w...

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Rousing Speech, Mr. President, But the Pressure Continues

Aubrey Sarvis | Posted 10.13.2009 | Politics

Read More: Don't Ask Don't Tell, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, National Equality March, Lgbt, Congress, Human Rights Campaign, Senate, Timeline, President Obama, Politics News
Aubrey Sarvis

The president, fresh from his Nobel Prize for Peace, didn't mention anything about a timeline for ending don't ask, don't tell, and as he has said on other occasions, nothing happens in Washington without a timeline.

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It's Chow Time at the White House, Brother

Aubrey Sarvis | Posted 10.08.2009 | Politics

Read More: Elaine Donnelly, Politico, David Wochner, Senator Richard Russell, General Omar Bradley, President Obama, U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, Admiral Mike Mullen, Anderson Cooper 360, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Victor Fehrenbach, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Military-Readiness-Enhancement-Act, Victory Fund, National Equality March, LGBT Community, Joint Force Quarterly, John King, Jon Stewart, Col. Om Prakash, Dadt, President Truman, Sldn, Joint Chiefs Chairman, General James Jones, National Security Adviser, Saturday Night Live, Us Military Desegregation, State of the Union, William Gladstone, Politics News
Aubrey Sarvis

What gays and lesbians are looking for -- and will be marching for on Sunday -- is nothing special, and that's exactly the point. It's what every other American already has: equal treatment under the law

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Eight Years of War. Take Care of Them. They Are Us.

Michael D. Brown | Posted 10.07.2009 | Denver

Read More: Iraq War, Army-Psychologists-Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder, US Army, Combat, Ptsd, Afghanistan War, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Denver News
Michael D. Brown

You see them in the mall, airport, and restaurants. They are the men and women who serve our nation as Army reservists. We pass them cavalierly, occasionally saying thanks for their service.

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Who's Leading the DADT Debate?

Aubrey Sarvis | Posted 09.30.2009 | Politics

Read More: Bill Clinton, House of Representatives, Congress, Joint Forces Quarterly, George W. Bush, Harry Truman, Senate Armed Services Committee, Admiral Mike Mullen, Obama Pentagon, Afghanistan War, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, H.R. 1283, Senate, Dadt, George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Politics News
Aubrey Sarvis

it is one thing to give the Pentagon considerable weight and another thing altogether to let it dictate the timing and terms of the debate, and the final decision.

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Time for Mullen and Gates to Take a Clear Stand on DADT

Aubrey Sarvis | Posted 09.17.2009 | Politics

Read More: Casualties of War, Don't Ask Don't Tell, White House, LGBT Issues, Senator Mark Udall, President Obama, Senate Armed Services Committee, Admiral Mike Mullen, Confirmation Hearing Chairman Joint Chiefs, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Politics News
Aubrey Sarvis

If Admiral Mullen and Secretary Gates are asked towards the end of the year whether they are prepared to sign off on repeal language of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, what will their answers be?

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Gates: Victory In Iraq And Afghan Wars Challenge But Achievable (VIDEO)

Al Jazeera | Posted 11.08.2009 | World

Read More: Afghanistan War, Gates Afghanistan, Obama War in Afghanistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iran Nuclear, Gates Iraq, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Iraq War, Robert Gates, Obama War, Us Troops Afghanistan, Barack-Obama-War-in-Iraq, World News

In a wide-ranging interview with Al Jazeera's Abderrahim Foukara, Gates spoke about the US strategy for peace in Afghanistan facing a "war of necessit...

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Defense Secretary Scores Spending Cuts, But Not Satisfied: "It Would Be Nice To Win Our Current Wars"

AP | RICHARD LARDNER | Posted 08.25.2009 | Politics

Read More: Pentagon, Department of Defense, US Military, Afghanistan, F-22, Weapons, Defense Budget, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Military Spending, US Military Spending, Iraq, Robert Gates, Defense Department, Politics News

WASHINGTON — Robert Gates is on a roll. Question is, how long will it last? The politically savvy defense secretary scored big legislative wins...

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F-22 Victory Is About More Than Just a Plane

Max Bergmann | Posted 08.21.2009 | Politics

Read More: F-22, Department of Defense, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Robert Gates, F-22 Plane, Military Spending, Obama Military Spending, Transparency, Politics News
Max Bergmann

This fight was about whether the Pentagon would be able to institutionalize the lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan and finally move out of the Cold War strategic mindset that still dominates.

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Fighting Over Fighter Jets: Obama, Gates and the F-22

Lawrence Korb | Posted 08.21.2009 | Politics

Read More: Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Michael B Donley, Unmanned Aerial Systems, Lockheed Martin, Robert Gates, Jon Soltz, Afghanistan, F22, Obama F22, Norton A. Schwartz, Iraq, Air Force, Department of Defense, Politics News
Lawrence Korb

The F-22 issue has become an entirely politicized debate, when what we need is thoughtful analysis based on risk assessment and the overall best interest of national security.

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Avigdor Lieberman To Miss Mitchell, Gates Israel Visit

Jerusalem Post | Posted 08.21.2009 | World

Read More: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Israeli Settlements, Robert Gates, George MItchell, George Mitchell Israel, Avigdor Lieberman, Foreign Affairs, Settlements, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Advocacy, Binyamin Netanyahu, World News

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman will be out of the country for most of next week when two major US policy makers, Middle East envoy George Mitchell...

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The F-22 Kills Jobs

William Hartung | Posted 08.20.2009 | Business

Read More: F-22, Pentagon Spending, Federal Budget, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Job Creation, Robert Gaes, Business News
William Hartung

It's down to the wire in the battle to keep the Senate from adding $1.75 billion to the Pentagon budget for more F-22 fighter planes, and the proponents of more pork are running out of arguments.

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The Undoing of Gen. T. Michael Moseley: A Cautionary Tale About the Military/Industrial Complex

Reese Schonfeld | Posted 08.17.2009 | Politics

Read More: Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Dod, US Military, Thunderbirds, Hornburg, Military, Favoritism, Air Force, Nuclear Missiles, Waste, Military-Reform, Edward Shipley, Secretary Wynne, Justice Department, Military Contracts, Veterans, T. Michael Moseley, Politics News
Reese Schonfeld

This tale recounts the interwoven fate of an Air Force Chief of Staff, potentially disastrous handling of nuclear weapons, and a financial advising company with more than 300,000 military personnel as investors.

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History Has Not Yet Judged Bush

James Denselow | Posted 08.07.2009 | Politics

Read More: Bush Legacy, Robert McNamara, Iraq, War in Iraq, George W. Bush, Kurds, George Piro, General David Petraeus, Fbi, Paul Bremer, Osama Bin Laden, Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Saddam Hussein, Robert Gates, Ryan Crocker, Politics News
James Denselow

Certainly Bush's rewriting of his Iraq legacy will be helped by his decision to reverse his earlier policies, abandoning the idealism of the top-down reinvention of Iraq, for reality-based pragmatism.

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Gates: Pentagon Considering Easing Don't Ask Don't Tell

AP | ANNE GEARAN | Posted 07.31.2009 | Politics

Read More: Pentagon, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Pentagon Don't Ask Don't Tell, Pentagon DADT, Obama Don't Ask Don't Tell, Robert Gates, Barack Obama, Politics News

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday he wants to make the law prohibiting gays from serving openly in the armed forces "more...

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Will Congress Put Useless Fighter Jets Above America?

Jon Soltz | Posted 07.23.2009 | Politics

Read More: F-35-Lightning-Ii, Pentagon, Nuclear Waste, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Department of Defense, Robert Gates, President Obama, F-22 Raptor, F-22, Nuclear-Waste, Department of Energy, Defense Spending, Pentagon Budget, Defense Department, Barack Obama, Politics News
Jon Soltz

Congress is about to throw $369 million (on a down-payment of $2 billion) for a dozen F-22 fighter jets that even the Pentagon doesn't want.

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For Gays in the Military, Obama's Good Intentions Not Enough

Aubrey Sarvis | Posted 06.24.2009 | Politics

Read More: Elaine Donnelly, Congress, Sandy Tsao, This Week With George Stephanopoulos, Afghanistan, Pentagon Briefing, President Obama, Passive Resistance, Martin Luther King Jr., Admiral Mike Mullen, Mahatma Gandhi, Air Force, John Shalikashvili, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Victor Fehrenbach, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Geoff Morrell, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Choi, Joint Chiefs Chairman, Fox News, Iraq, Politics News
Aubrey Sarvis

Good intentions are no substitute for the change our service members are counting on, especially those who might like to be relieved from a third or fourth or fifth tour in Iraq or Afghanistan.

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War Funding Bill To Include Money For Relocating Gitmo Inmates

AP | ANDREW TAYLOR | Posted 06.11.2009 | Politics

Read More: Harry Reid, Gates, Pentagon, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Obama Guantanamo, Guantanamo Detainees, Guantanamo, Majority Leader Harry Reid, Daniel Inouye, Politics News

WASHINGTON — A war funding bill headed to the floor next week would provide the $50 million sought by the Pentagon to relocate prisoners from th...

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Obama Caving on Gays in the Military

Aubrey Sarvis | Posted 06.10.2009 | Politics

Read More: Sandy Tsao, Haaretz, Daniel Choi, President Obama, White House Correspondents Dinner, Karen DeYoung, Obama Dont Ask Dont Tell, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Beltway Insiders, George Stephanopoulos, Rachel Maddow, National Security, Washington Post, General James Jones, General Petraeus, Adm. Mike Mullen, Politics News
Aubrey Sarvis

In Washington, we know about commissions and study groups and promise-them-anything when you're trolling for votes. But after the election... well, memories fade.

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Gates Seeks Saudi Arabia's Assistance With Pakistan

New York Times | Posted 06.05.2009 | World

Read More: Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan Taliban, Foreign Affairs, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia Pakistan, Taliban, Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Robert Gates, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan Crisis, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Hillary Clinton, Advocacy, World News

As the Obama administration prepares for talks this week with senior leaders from Afghanistan and Pakistan, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates flew to ...

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Stand by Your Word, Mr. President: End "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Aubrey Sarvis | Posted 05.28.2009 | Politics

Read More: Elaine Donnelly, Gays and Lesbians in the Military, Center for Military Readiness, Congress, Department of Defense, Ronald Reagan, Arabic Translators, President Obama, Admiral Mike Mullen, Poll, Pentagon Budget, John Shalikashvili, Repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell, Obama White House, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Phyllis Schlafly, Retired Flag Officers, Economic Stimulus, Washington Post, ABC News, Bank Bailout, Politics News
Aubrey Sarvis

Firing 50 men and women who are fluent in Arabic solely because they are gay when we are fighting in the Arabic-speaking world? The mind boggles.

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Time for Courage and Leadership, Mr. President

Aubrey Sarvis | Posted 04.29.2009 | Politics

Read More: Don't Ask Don't Tell, General Colin Powell, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, President Bill Clinton, President Obama, Global Economy, National Security, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, Defense Department Budget, Admiral Mahan, Campaign Promises, Fox News Sunday, Politics News
Aubrey Sarvis

Don't Ask, Don't Tell is a wrong that can be made right. Just say what you said in your campaign, Mr. Obama, and what's on your White House web site. Do what you said you'd do.

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Gates To Cut Weapons Spending

The Boston Globe | Posted 04.17.2009 | Politics

Read More: Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Defense Spending, Department of Defense, Robert Gates, Politics News

As the Bush administration was drawing to a close, Robert M. Gates, whose two years as defense secretary had been devoted to wars in Iraq and Afghanis...

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My Conversation with Robert Gates

Tavis Smiley | Posted 04.12.2009 | Politics

Read More: Tavis Smiley, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Robert Gates, Shock and Awe, Politics News
Tavis Smiley

2009-03-12-gates.jpgI asked Secretary Gates about the recent increase of violence in Iraq and the notion that we are not winning in Afghanistan.

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Wars Made Real: Photography at Dover Air Force Base

Gail Vida Hamburg | Posted 04.03.2009 | Politics

Read More: Iraq War, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Barack Obama, Dover Photographs, Dover-Air-Force-Base, Pentagon, Robert Gates, Politics News
Gail Vida Hamburg

Let's all pat ourselves on the back for being American patriots: let's fire up the grill, get plastered on booze, eat ourselves into a stupor, watch television, go shopping and call it Memorial Day.

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