Gates rips leaks on Afghanistan, Fort Hood

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates Thursday criticized the rash of leaks regarding Afghanistan strategy deliberations and the Fort Hood, Texas, massacre.

"I am appalled by the amount of leaking that has been going on," Gates told reporters traveling with him to Oshkosh, Wis., following Wednesday's national security session on Afghanistan, President Barack Obama's eighth in the past two months.

Gates said he has little doubt some of the leaks came from the Defense Department and left little doubt about what would happen to the source if found, American Forces Press Service reported.

"If I found out who" was involved, he said, "it would probably be a career-ender."

Leaking information as Obama considers the direction of U.S. strategy in Afghanistan or during the investigation into the Fort Hood shooting spree that left 13 people dead doesn't do anyone any good, he said.

"Everybody out there with their own little piece of the action" doesn't see the big picture, the secretary said. "Everybody out there ought to just shut up."

Gates was traveling to Oshkosh to thank factory workers at the Oshkosh Corp. who sped up production of all-terrain versions of the mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle specifically designed for Afghanistan's rugged terrain, the Pentagon said.