Topic: Robert Gates
Quotes
It sends an unhelpful message of disunity and uncertainty to our troops, our allies and, most importantly, the Gadhafi regime
House to vote on U.S. role in Libya Jun 03, 2011
I am deeply honored to have been asked to return to the College of William & Mary, my alma mater, to serve as chancellor
Gates named William & Mary chancellor Sep 06, 2011
I'm deeply honored and moved by your presentation of this award. It is a big surprise. But we should have known a couple of months ago; you're getting pretty good at this covert ops stuff.
Gates surprised with Medal of Freedom Jun 30, 2011
I've read that there is some suspicion within al-Qaida of Zawahiri because he's Egyptian
Gates comments on Zawahiri elevation Jun 17, 2011
In the past, I've worried openly about NATO turning into a two-tiered alliance between members who specialize in 'soft' humanitarian, development, peacekeeping and talking tasks and those conducting the 'hard' combat missions -- between those willing and able to pay the price and bear the burdens of alliance commitments and those who enjoy the benefits of NATO membership, be they security guarantees or headquarters billets, but don't want to share the risks and the costs
Gates: NATO has become two-tiered alliance Jun 10, 2011
Robert Michael Gates (born September 25, 1943) is a retired civil servant and university president who served as the 22nd United States Secretary of Defense from 2006 to 2011. Prior to this, Gates served for 26 years in the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council, and under President George H. W. Bush as Director of Central Intelligence. Immediately after being recruited by the CIA, he also served as an officer in the United States Air Force. After leaving the CIA, Gates became president of Texas A&M University and was a member of several corporate boards. Gates also served as a member of the Iraq Study Group, the bipartisan commission co-chaired by James A. Baker III and Lee Hamilton, that has studied the Iraq War. He was also the first pick to serve as the first Director of National Intelligence (DNI), but he declined the appointment in order to remain President of Texas A&M University.
Gates accepted the nomination for Secretary of Defense on November 8, 2006, replacing Donald Rumsfeld. He was confirmed with bipartisan support. In a 2007 profile written by former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, Time named Gates one of the year's most influential people. In 2008, Gates was named one of America's Best Leaders by U.S. News & World Report. He continued to serve as Secretary of Defense in President Barack Obama's administration. Gates announced in August 2010 that he planned to retire in 2011, and President Barack Obama announced in April 2011 that he would be replaced by CIA director Leon Panetta. “He’ll be remembered for making us aware of the danger of over-reliance on military intervention as an instrument of American foreign policy,” said former Senator David L. Boren. Gates was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, by President Obama during his retirement ceremony.
A native of Wichita, Kansas, Gates attained the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the BSA as an adult. He graduated from Wichita High School East in 1961, with straight A's. Gates is also a Vigil Honor member within the Order of the Arrow, Scouting's National Honor Society.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Robert Gates."