Robert Gates

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Army to Shorten Combat Tours
Army to Shorten Combat Tours
Feb 27, 2008 7:40 AM CST

Army to Shorten Combat Tours

Three years between deployments

(Newser) - The Pentagon aims to trim tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan from 15 months to a year with an eventual three years between deployments, the Army's top general told the Senate Committee on Armed Services yesterday. The change will be made after the military reduces troop levels this summer,...

Questions Trail After Satellite
Questions Trail After Satellite
Feb 22, 2008 11:59 AM CST

Questions Trail After Satellite

American politicians, Asian powers fret over missile capability

(Newser) - The US Navy's destruction of a spy satellite on Wednesday continues to stir doubts both domestically and internationally, reports the New York Times. China issued an explicit warning yesterday, and Russia has raised questions. “The geopolitical fallout of this intercept could be far greater than any chemical fallout that...

Gates Slips on Ice, Fractures Shoulder

Defense secretary will miss this morning's budget hearing

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates slipped on some ice outside his home last night and fractured his shoulder, reports MSNBC. Gates was examined and is now recovering, but the injury means he won't be attending a congressional hearing on the US defense budget this morning. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England will...

Gates Backs Pause in Iraq Troop Pullout

Defense secretary sees need to stabilize gains after 'al-Qaeda routed'

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates today backed a "pause" in pulling out US forces from Iraq once the 30,000  troops added for the surge are sent home in July. “The notion of a brief period of consolidation and evaluation probably does make sense,” Gates told reporters during...

Iraqi Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 33

Blast occurs as US defense secretary surveys troop surge

(Newser) - A suicide bomber killed at least 33 people and injured 45 in Iraq today just hours before US Defense Secretary Robert Gates made a surprise visit to Baghdad, the BBC reports. The car blast, sparked by six barrels of explosives, toppled buildings, and officials say more bodies may be dug...

Gates Asks Europe for More Afghan Troops

Says Iraq-weary Euros underestimate threat of unstable Afghanistan

(Newser) - US Defense Secretary Robert Gates appealed today to European allies to send more troops to Afghanistan, saying in Munich that the "threat posed by violent Islamic extremism is real" and that NATO's credibility in combating it is at stake, Reuters reports. France has indicated it could send more troops,...

NATO Faces a Split Over Afghanistan

US says alliance could become 'two-tiered' unless others pull their weight

(Newser) - US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said today that NATO risks splitting into a "two-tiered alliance" because some members aren't willing to pull their weight in Afghanistan. The vast majority of the fighting against the Taliban in the country is done by Canadian, British, American and Dutch troops, and those...

Indignant NATO Allies Blast Gates' Critique

It's 'bloody outrageous,' says angry Brit official

(Newser) - US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has sparked an uproar among America's allies after he complained to the Los Angeles Times that some NATO forces are unprepared for their jobs in Afghanistan. The Dutch, British and Canadians—who all have troops in the south of the country—immediately slammed the comments,...

Shut Gitmo, Urges Military Boss
Shut Gitmo, Urges Military Boss
Jan 14, 2008 5:14 AM CST

Shut Gitmo, Urges Military Boss

Prison camp has 'damaged America's reputation'

(Newser) - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said yesterday he favors shutting down the controversial prison camp at Guantanamo Bay where al-Qaeda and Taliban suspects are being held and interrogated. Last Friday marked the sixth anniversary of the opening of the prison camp in 2002. Admiral Mike Mullen toured...

US May Send 3,000 Marines to Afghanistan

Pentagon considers more troops to ward off Taliban offensive

(Newser) - Afghanistan may receive its own troop surge this April, the AP reports. To fend off a resurgent Taliban, the Pentagon will consider deploying another 3,000 Marines for 7 months. Military commanders say they actually need another 7,500 troops to fend off the expected offensive, and defense chief Robert...

Gates Predicts Steady Iraq Withdrawals

If security gains hold, defense chief predicts 100K troops by Jan '09

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates said today the US is on track to have 100,000 troops, or 10 brigades, in Iraq by the end of the Bush administration, the Chicago Tribune reports. Recent security gains in Iraq have allowed Gen. David Petraeus to begin to enact his plan of removing...

US Pleads for Help in Afghanistan
US Pleads for Help in Afghanistan
Dec 14, 2007 4:43 AM CST

US Pleads for Help in Afghanistan

Gates zings Germany for sticking to peaceful zones

(Newser) - US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates yesterday pleaded with NATO allies to play a bigger combat role in Afghanistan. "I would like for all of the allies to be involved in a comprehensive strategy," Gates said at a NATO meeting in Edinburgh. Violence in Afghanistan has increased sharply...

Gates Nixes Marine Shift to Afghanistan

Defense secretary says troops needed in still-volatile Iraq

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates has rejected a proposal to shift Marine Corps soldiers from Iraq to Afghanistan, saying the situation is still too volatile in Iraq, reports the New York Times. The top general of the Marines met with Gates in Washington last week and presented a formal proposal to...

Bombings Mark Gates' Iraq Visit
Bombings Mark Gates' Iraq Visit
Dec 5, 2007 3:47 PM CST

Bombings Mark Gates' Iraq Visit

Blasts kill 23 as Gates says secure Iraq is 'within reach'

(Newser) - In an unannounced visit to Iraq today, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he believed stability there is a reachable goal, even as car bombs claimed 23 lives in Baghdad and elsewhere, Reuters reports. "More than ever, I believe that the goal of a secure, stable, and democratic Iraq...

Gates Surveys US War in Afghanistan

'Not worried about a back slide' despite rise in attacks, he says

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates landed in Afghanistan today to size up areas where attacks have recently doubled and suicide bombings spiked 30%, Reuters reports. He was upbeat despite a Pentagon admission that al-Qaeda is helping Taliban forces to recover. "I'm not worried about a back slide as much as...

‘Anti-Rumsfeld’ Cools Iran War Rhetoric

Servant to 7 presidents prefers 'soft power' to VP's battle plans

(Newser) - Dubbed the “Anti-Rumsfeld,” Defense Secretary Robert Gates is soothing fears that the US will bomb Iran—while trying to guard against mishaps that might trigger a war. Certain that a Tehran strike would spark a wider conflict and terror in Europe, Gates coolly tries to “lower the...

Battle Over War Funds Escalates
 Battle Over War Funds Escalates
Nov 30, 2007 3:50 AM CST

Battle Over War Funds Escalates

President warns of Christmas layoffs

(Newser) - The dispute between the White House and Congress over $196 billion in funding for the war in Iraq escalated as President Bush warned of imminent layoffs, the Washington Post reports. "The missions of this department are too important to be disrupted or delayed," Bush said after a series...

US Urges Japan to Return to Afghanistan

Japanese naval contribution halted by domestic politics

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates urged Japan today to resume a naval support mission for US operations in Afghanistan, Reuters reports. Japan has conducted refueling operations in the region for the past six years at a cost of approximately $195 million. The mission was stopped earlier this month after an opposition...

US Military to Oversee Blackwater Convoys

Defense Dept. wins tug of war with State for control of contractors

(Newser) - The military is taking control of State Department security convoys in Iraq, supervising Blackwater and other contractors, the New York Times reports. State had fought a losing battle to keep control of Blackwater after it was involved in a September incident that left 17 Iraqis dead. Now, the military will...

US Forces Will Do 'Nothing' About Kurds

Top general in the region says it's up to Turkey, Iraq

(Newser) - Despite Turkish calls for action, the top US military commander in northern Iraq said today that he intended to do "absolutely nothing" to counteract strikes against Turkey by Kurdish militants, the AP reports. The blunt assertion is consistent with the Bush administration's desire to keep US forces out of...

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