Robert Gates

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Pakistan Routs Taliban Forces in Major Offensive

Government abandons diplomatic tack to cut militant violence

(Newser) - Pakistan blasted suspected militant hideouts today, launching its biggest offensive against Taliban forces since electing a government last March. The military cleared three militant outposts and forced the insurgents west, CNN reports. For weeks, tensions have mounted between militants and Islamabad, which abandoned its diplomatic strategy as insurgent strikes increased.

Army to Speed High-Tech Gear Into Combat

New weapons could hit Iraq, Afghanistan by 2011

(Newser) - The US Army has moved up the timetable for its high-tech weapons program, hoping to get new devices into the field by late 2010, 5 years ahead of its original schedule, Popular Mechanics reports. It’s also shifting focus away from conventional warfare tech like tanks and artillery and toward...

Bush to Ask Congress to Take N. Korea off Terror List

In return, Pyongyang will permanently disable reactor

(Newser) - President Bush will ask Congress tomorrow to remove North Korea from the “terrorist watch list,” reports Steve Clemons in the Washington Note, a move meant to build confidence with Kim Jong-Il and China in the quest to bring the North back from its nuclear pariah status. In return,...

Gates: Junta Aid Delays Killed Thousands

Defense Secretary slams 'deaf and dumb' Burmese rulers

(Newser) - Tens of thousands of Burmese have died because of their government's refusal to allow in foreign aid after Cyclone Nargis, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said yesterday. Gates accused the military leaders of being "deaf and dumb" to the plight of their people, Reuters reports. American ships in the region...

'Sorry' Gates: We Let Down Our Soldiers

He regrets poor treatment for Iraq, Afghanistan vets

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates admitted yesterday that the US military made mistakes in taking care of soldiers back from Afghanistan and Iraq, reports Reuters. He said he regretted that veterans had received inadequate care for physical and mental problems, particularly those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Gates also acknowledged that...

New Ship a 'Reminder' to Iran: Gates

Defense sec prods Tehran as 2nd carrier arrives in Gulf

(Newser) - A second US aircraft carrier steamed into the Persian Gulf yesterday, which Robert Gates says Iran should see as a "reminder." The defense secretary denied that the deployment of another ship in the Gulf amounted to an escalation of American forces in the area, Reuters reports, but hoped...

US Preparing Iran War Plans
 US Preparing Iran War Plans 
Apr 25, 2008 2:40 PM CDT

US Preparing Iran War Plans

Attack isn't imminent, Joint Chiefs chair says, but US has capability

(Newser) - The US is preparing for a potential military action against Iran, the nation’s top military official said today. Such an attack would be “extremely stressing” on the military, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, but it is on the table if a diplomatic solution can’...

Gates to USAF: Straighten Up and Fly Right

Defense sec criticizes service for being slow to adapt to change

(Newser) - Robert Gates chided the Air Force today for being slow to change and for not providing enough help in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Addressing American and international student officers in Alabama, the defense secretary said getting the USAF to adapt, particularly in the use of drone aircraft, has...

Sadr City Fight Kills 13; Insurgents Vow to Fight On

Authorities ease blockade in Iraqi slum

(Newser) - US and Iraqi forces clashed with Shiite insurgents in fierce fighting overnight near Baghdad’s Sadr City, Reuters reports, as authorities lifted a blockade in some areas that had been stifling the region. At least 13 militiamen loyal to cleric Moqtada al-Sadr were killed in the clashes in the Iraqi...

Bush to Shorten Iraq Tours, Halt Drawdowns

Combat tours shortened to one year

(Newser) - President Bush is expected to announce today that the drawdown of US troops in Iraq will be suspended—once forces reach their presurge level in July—because of a resurgence of fighting, reports the Washington Post. The decision, urged by Gen. David Petraeus, means the number of troops in Iraq...

On Iraq, Petraeus Has Bush's Ear
 On Iraq, Petraeus Has Bush's Ear
Apr 6, 2008 1:10 PM CDT

On Iraq, Petraeus Has Bush's Ear

Close ties fuel fears that other commanders aren't heard

(Newser) - George Bush and top Iraq commander David Petraeus have a close relationship unusual for wartime presidencies, the Washington Post reports. The president skips over several middlemen, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates, to speak directly and regularly with Petraeus, and has fully deferred to the general on controversial Iraq decisions. But...

Combat Tours to Be Cut
 Combat Tours to Be Cut 
Apr 5, 2008 5:20 AM CDT

Combat Tours to Be Cut

Tours of duty to be cut back to 12 months; Congress to hear troop cut proposals

(Newser) - American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are to have their combat tours cut from 15 months to 12 beginning late this summer. The White House plans a formal announcement next week, an insider told the AP. Tours were lengthened last year to boost troop levels in Iraq, and the Army...

Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Fly?
Don't Ask,
Don't Tell,
Don't Fly?
Apr 1, 2008 1:54 PM CDT

Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Fly?

Pentagon-Congress flap spotlights tension over gay rights

(Newser) - Nancy Pelosi acted to have a gay Congresswoman's domestic partner included on a military flight to Europe, and the question of government acknowledgment of same-sex partners continues to reverberate, the Politico reports. Tammy Baldwin’s partner took the March fact-finding trip, but Pelosi and Robert Gates are at odds over...

New US Mideast Commander Installed
New US Mideast Commander Installed
Mar 29, 2008 8:58 AM CDT

New US Mideast Commander Installed

Out with the Navy, in with the Army as head of CentCom

(Newser) - A new commander has taken temporary charge of US military operations in the Mideast, after a quiet ceremony at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida yesterday. Lt. Gen Martin Dempsey will run CentCom while the administration seeks a permanent replacement for Adm. William Fallon, who quit abruptly earlier this month...

No Progress on Missile Deal After Rice's Russia Visit

US, Russia no closer on defense system in Eastern Europe, but more polite about it

(Newser) - Moscow talks between top US diplomats and their Russian counterparts haven't edged the two sides any closer to deals on a proposed US missile shield in Eastern Europe and a nuclear-arms reduction treaty, the Financial Times reports. Condoleezza Rice heads home empty-handed, but US-Russia relations at least seem to have...

Pentagon Delayed Brain Scans for Returning Troops

Brass feared troops would blame health woes on TBI

(Newser) - Seeking to duck controversy, the Pentagon did not screen returning US troops for brain injuries for more than 2 years. Top brass feared that soldiers would blame minor health woes on brain trauma—which could spark another Gulf War Syndrome, Air Force Col. Kenneth Cox told USA Today. But one...

As Bush Foe, Admiral's Days Were Numbered
As Bush Foe, Admiral's Days Were Numbered
analysis
Mar 12, 2008 7:53 PM CDT

As Bush Foe, Admiral's Days Were Numbered

What's truly amazing is that he held out as long as he did

(Newser) - It's amazing that Adm. William Fallon held on to his job as long as he did while openly disagreeing with the Bush administration on matters of military strategy, writes John Barry in Newsweek. Fallon's continued insistence that war with Iran is a lousy idea finally led to his resignation yesterday...

US Admiral in Charge of Mideast Quits

Move comes after article depicts him defying Bush on Iran

(Newser) - The top US military commander for the Middle East resigned today after the publication of a magazine profile that portrayed him as a vocal opponent of the Bush administration's Iran strategy, the AP reports. Adm. William Fallon, head of US Central Command, denied any rift and said he stepped down...

Afghanistan Is Out of Control: Intel Chief

Karzai controls just 30% of country, Taliban 10%, tribal leaders the rest

(Newser) - The 6-year NATO campaign in Afghanistan is failing, the US intelligence chief told the Senate Armed Services Committee this week. Mike McConnell said Harmid Karzai’s US-backed government controls only about 30% of the country, with the Taliban holding another 10%, and the rest under tribal rule. Security, meanwhile, is...

Turkey Gives No Timetable on Iraq Withdrawal

US, Iraq want quick end to incursion aimed at Kurd rebels

(Newser) - Despite mounting casualties and outside pressure, Turkey said today it would not give a timetable on pulling back troops from an offensive against Kurdish rebels in Iraq, Reuters reports. Turkish soldiers have killed 230 PKK guerillas since the conflict began, and lost 24 of their own. Iraqi and US officials...

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