Robert Gates wary of 'wars of choice'

WASHINGTON, June 19 (UPI) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told The New York Times he has grown wary of "wars of choice."

In an interview Friday, the outgoing Pentagon chief said he "will always be an advocate in terms of wars of necessity," expressing concerns about ongoing NATO-led military operations in Libya.

"When I took this job, the United States was fighting two very difficult, very costly wars. And it has seemed to me: Let's get this business wrapped up before we go looking for more opportunities.

"If we were about to be attacked or had been attacked or something happened that threatened a vital U.S. national interest, I would be the first in line to say, 'Let's go,'" Gates told the Times. "I am just much more cautious on wars of choice.

"The only thing I guess I would say to that is: I hope I've prevented us from doing some dumb things over the past four and a half years -- or maybe dumb is not the right word, but things that were not actually in our interest," Gates said, adding more details will be provided in his upcoming memoir.