The ultimate insiders story of five presidents and how they won the cold war. Robert michael gates born september 25, 1943 is an american statesman, scholar, intelligence analyst, and university president who served as the 22nd united states secretary of defense from 2006 to 2011. Sign up for news about books, authors, and more from penguin random house. Former secretary of defense robert gates on his new book a. More briefings, fewer win and lose phrases for afghanistan. Bush and as secretary of defense 200611 in the administrations of presidents george w. Washington over the next month, two of president barack obamas closest firstterm advisers will spill insider details on the administrations handling of the early days of. Outgoing pentagon flack geoff morrell was musing about his future now that his boss, defense secretary robert gates, was retired. But curbing the pentagons appetite for expensive new weapons could be his biggest challenge yet.
Admiral fallon has served his nation well throughout a distinguished military career for over 40 years, first in the navy and. Cspan has agreements with retailers that share a small percentage of your. This was why i could not sign onto vice president bidens preferred strategy of. For a man who considered himself the ultimate insider in washington, robert gates made no secret of his desire to become an outsider. Throughout my tenure at the pentagon, under both president george w. Robert gates was wrong on the most important issue he ever. Secretary of defense robert gates, the presidents national commission on fiscal responsibility and reform, and numerous public policy research institutes have also proposed many additional. Gates challenged some sacrosanct pentagon spending practices in a speech on saturday, directing both military and civilian officials to find cuts in. As bob woodward told it in his 2008 book the war within, gates and the.
Defense secretary robert gates and admiral michael mullen, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, arent wasting any time at the pentagon briefing this afternoon immediately beginning with a discussion of the stillsecret report by general stanley mcchrystal, the military commander for afghanistan. May 15, 2017 former secretary of defense robert gates, who served under presidents george w. Aug 16, 2010 gates says he wants to leave pentagon in 2011 robert gates says he wants to retire next year, but will the call of duty cause him to stay longer. January 14, 2014, a strikingly candid, vividly written account of his experience serving presidents george w.
Defense secretary robert gates took his campaign to change the pentagons weaponsbuying habits directly to the uniformed. High profile outlets help with the discoverability of our titles. Its very difficult to communicate with the public about, secretary gates. Fred kaplan is the nationalsecurity columnist for slate and the author of five previous books, dark territory. Blunt warning from gates reveals nato strains the new york. Steve vogels history of the pentagon reads easy and is completely fascinating. Dec 07, 2017 cyber pearl harbor versus the real pearl harbor. Robert michael bob gates wichita kansas, 25 september 1943 is een amerikaans oudpoliticus. Retired cia directordefense secretary robert gates declined. When theres bad news at the pentagon, robert rangel is usually the first to hear it.
Gates, defense secretary council on foreign relations. Jun 11, 2011 the warning by defense secretary robert m. Presidentelect barack obama and robert gates are negotiating terms under which the defence secretary would remain as pentagon chief in his administration, the financial times has learned. Gates and general peter pace from the pentagon briefing room, arlington, va. Gates cut through the pentagons bureaucracy to get the mraps into rapid production and out into the field to protect service. A biography of the pentagon commences before and during the interwar period which preceded world war ii. Defense secretary robert gates announced recently that he will stay on at least another year.
The book recounts one episode after another of gates arguing internally that gorbachev was not a real reformer, that he was. Mar 18, 2009 defense secretary robert gates has announced the phased ending of the armys unpopular stop loss policy that extends soldiers tours beyond the end of their enlistment contracts, and which. Former secretary of defense robert gates on his new book. Youve been very generous with your time, but national security stuff is complicated. I normally dont read books like this, but i picked it up admittedly after vogel made an appearance on the daily show. Im talking with robert gates, former secretary of defense.
In his two years as defense secretary, robert gates has earned high marks for candor and common sense. Bob gates a very popular draw at pentagon book signing. Mattis was the best secretary of defense trump could have had. Gates challenged some sacrosanct pentagon spending practices in a speech on saturday. Two memoirs from hillary clinton and robert gates should make us wonder if politics are. One quote shows the radical transformation of the pentagon under robert gates. In his book, duty, gates describes his war on the pentagon to. David petraeus and the plot to change the american way of war a pulitzer prize finalist and new york times bestseller, 1959, daydream believers, and the wizards of armageddon. Among us public servants of his generation, robert gates is one of the few to command deep. The pentagon has to do more than modernize its conventional forces. Defense secretary robert gates has announced the phased ending of the armys unpopular stop loss policy that extends soldiers tours beyond the end of their enlistment contracts, and which. In march 2008, rangel received the initial report that the air force had mistakenly shipped nuclear fuses to. Gates supported a troop surge and believed that the united states had to prevent the taliban from overthrowing karzai. Robert gates had a nearly fiveyear run at the pentagon in which he cultivated an.
When the pentagon announced in early september that it would loosen restrictions on reporters covering military trials at the guantanamo bay naval base, several members of the press hailed the decision as a goodfaith effort to correct inadequacies in news media access that were unparalleled in any other. Daily news brief sign up for a morning roundup of news and. Lessons on change and reform from 50 years of public service. Bob gates transforms the pentagon business insider. Secretary of defense robert gates then noted that, when it comes to their war, there is no big memorial on the national mall. Republican robert m gatess account of his years in the bush and obama. What can robert gates achieve in extra year at pentagon. Washington one of robert gates final tasks before retiring as defense secretary is to set the pentagon on a budgetcutting course he had spent much of his 4 12year tenure trying to avoid. In duty, recently retired defense secretary robert gates gives. Line out the door at pentagon for robert gates book that riled dc.
Secretary of defense robert gates and the jcs chairman, adm. Gates was here to discuss and sign copies of his new memoir, duty. Secretary of defense robert gates speaks at his final press. Former secretary of defense robert gates joins me in hour three today. Defense dod special briefing with secretary of defense robert m. Reprogramming the pentagon for a new age, foreign affairs, januaryfebruary 2009.
Dark territory book by fred kaplan official publisher. Did bob gates new book just trash his golden reputation. On board was the secretary of defense, robert gates, who was on an. Robert michael gates born september 25, 1943 is an american statesman, scholar. Former defense secretary robert gates on how to tell the. Dod news briefing with secretary robert gates from the pentagon. A history reads like a novel, the characters are the architects, the politicians, and the workers.
Former defense chief robert gates on wars and washington. Curtains closing on robert gates years as defense secretary. Live blog on gates at the pentagon the new york times. Jan 23, 2014 robert gates says in his newly released memoir that pentagon leaders believed a chinese antisatellite test in 2007 was conducted without the consent of chinas civilian leadership. Retired cia directordefense secretary robert gates. Apr 30, 2011 the circumstances under which i would do that are inconceivable to me, gates replied in an april 2008 pentagon news briefing. With well over ten years of marketing and branding our content, pentagon publishing has built a. Former us defence secretary robert gates has joked about the downsides of his old job, including enduring interminable nato meetings and price gouging. Robert gates was wrong on the most important issue he ever faced. Former us defence secretary robert gates has joked about the downsides of his old job, including enduring interminable nato meetings and. If youre an outsider entering the pentagon bureaucracy, and youre. A biography of the pentagon contains extensive information on the construction and physical makeup of the pentagon, much of it previously unavailable in other publications. Jan 07, 2014 robert gates was wrong on the most important issue he ever faced.
With the blessing of defense secretary robert gates, he operated outside normal bureaucratic channels, eschewing the. Gates, front, stands with president barack obama as they listen to. Brendan smialowskiafpgetty images washington bob gates book may have caused waves througho. Defense secretary robert gates took his campaign to change the pentagon s weaponsbuying habits directly to the uniformed military wednesday, telling an audience of. May 07, 2014 washington over the next month, two of president barack obamas closest firstterm advisers will spill insider details on the administrations handling of the early days of the great. Throughout the book, the significance of the pentagon and the department of defense are closely integrated into the narrative. Bush but was retained for service by president barack obama.
It would be one of several futile attempts by the pentagon reporters on the trip to get. Help us create the kind of literary community youve always dreamed of. American support and has refused to sign a pact that would clear the way for. In his book, duty, gates describes his war on the pentagon to deliver the up. Gates is the author of duty, and a passion for leadership. Mattis was the best secretary of defense trump could have.
Robert gates says in his newly released memoir that pentagon leaders believed a chinese antisatellite test in 2007 was conducted without. Gates even had a countdown clock that ticked down the days until. Retired cia directordefense secretary robert gates declined to directly challenge the roswell ufo story told last summer by former agency colleague chase brandon. Nov 19, 2008 presidentelect barack obama and robert gates are negotiating terms under which the defence secretary would remain as pentagon chief in his administration, the financial times has learned. He is a publicspirited republican who agreed to stay on at the pentagon under a president of the other party after george. Forthright and unsparing, duty is gatess behindthescenes account of his nearly. Prior to heading to the book signing, gates had a private meeting with defense secretary chuck hagel.
Former obama advisers set to spill white house secrets. Jun 29, 2011 curtains closing on robert gates years as defense secretary. So recognized and established within american military culture that the word pentagon itself has become a metonym for the department of defense. Gates plans the postgates pentagon the new york times. Gates says he wants to leave pentagon in 2011 robert gates says he wants to retire next year, but will the call of duty cause him to stay longer. Gates cut through the pentagon s bureaucracy to get the mraps into rapid production and out into the field to protect service. Gates was speaking for the pentagon, not necessarily.
Blunt warning from gates reveals nato strains the new. Bush and barack obama during the wars in iraq and afghanistan. Thensecretary of defense robert gates addressed the scramble, directing the air force and navy to stand aside and then combining jfccnw and. Just then, robert barnett washingtons superlawyer and a. Line out the door at pentagon for robert gates book that. But curbing the pentagon s appetite for expensive new weapons could be his biggest challenge yet. Obama in talks with gates on pentagon role financial times.
Brian finke from his earliest days as secretary of defense, robert gates kept a little countdown clock in his briefcase. On goldwaternichols and the centrality of military advice. Cyber pearl harbor versus the real pearl harbor forbes. Dod news briefing with secretary robert gates from the. Presidents need both hawks and doves, he writes in the books. What he really thought about the afghan war foreign policy. Robert gates had a nearly fiveyear run at the pentagon in which he cultivated an image of himself as the consummate professional. By announcing today that military combat tours would be shortened from 15 to 12 months, president bush was implementing a major recommendation that his pentagon chief made months earlier in a profile earlier this year in the new york times magazine, defense secretary robert m. Bush and barack obama, said that hes confident trump cabinet members have the ability to lend advice, concerns and. The pentagon is certainly one of the most iconic buildings located in the washington, d. The pentagons legal counsel, jeh johnson, said the new regulations are by no means a. The line of hundreds of troops and civilians to have robert gates sign a copy of his new book, duty, snaked through stanchions at the pentagon and wound itself outside on to the sunsoaked.
Ultimate insider changed the pentagon like no other. For instance, i have pointed out ways in which defense secretary robert gates, the most heralded secretary of defense of the post911 era, could have handled certain matters better. May 24, 2011 washington one of robert gates final tasks before retiring as defense secretary is to set the pentagon on a budgetcutting course he had spent much of his 4 12year tenure trying to avoid. Gates, front, stands with president barack obama as they listen to the u. I have a lot of respect for chase, gates said during a brief press conference prior to his scheduled talk at a town hall forum in sarasota today. Lecture and book signing with former secretary of defense robert gates. Knopf while his rivals at the white house, the state department and the pentagon loudly staked out their positions, gates held back.
Gates, a cold war veteran selected to remain as defense secretary, has won bipartisan praise for his pragmatism and handling of the pentagon amid two wars. Jan 11, 2010 what can robert gates achieve in extra year at pentagon. To judge from the pages of his book, many of his expressions of outrage were indeed motivated by selfserving bureaucrats or members of congress who. Gates also maintained that coin operations against the taliban were necessary to permit the united states to transfer security provision to afghan government forces. Defense secretary robert gates holds a briefing at the pentagon, as many await further details of the mcchrystal report. Gates takes aim at pentagon spending the new york times. For the first time, everyone involved in the process had to sign a. Gates is quoted telling a group of soldiers wives at fort hood last. Former secretary of defense robert gates, who served under presidents george w.