http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/gates/ en-us Thu, 25 May 2006 01:37:57 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1637863/posts Pakistani convicted for plot to bomb New York subway05-25-2006, 00h32 NEW YORK (AFP) In this courtroom illustration, James Elshafay (C) and Shahawar Matin Siraj (R) appear August 2004 in Federal District Court in New York, before Magistrate Kiyo Matsumoto (R rear) during an arraignment on charges related to an alleged plot to bomb a New York City subway station. Standing at left are Assistant US attorneys John Nathanson (L) and Kelly Currie (2nd L). (AFP/Getty Images/File) A Pakistani man was convicted of planning to blow up a New York subway station ahead of the Republican National Convention held before the... Turkish Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1637863/posts#comment Thu, 25 May 2006 01:37:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061866/posts US defence secretary warns Moscow: stop 'punishing' Georgia for western integration or risk damage to Washington relations The United States has warned Russia its military operations in Georgia risk seriously damaging relations between Washington and Moscow for years. Speaking to reporters about the delivery of humanitarian aid to Georgia, Robert Gates, the US defense secretary, said: "If Russia does not step back from its aggressive posture and actions in Georgia, the US-Russian relationship could be adversely affected for years to come." The US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, has also stepped up pressure on Moscow, issuing another urgent call for... The Guardian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061866/posts#comment Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:41:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061863/posts Robert Gates, the US Defence Secretary, warned Russia today that its actions in Georgia could undermine relations with the United States "for years to come". But Mr Gates, in a briefing to reporters at the Pentagon, said that there was no chance that America could get militarily involved in the conflict and the US would only send those forces necessary for the distribution of humanitarian supplies. Giving what appeared to be a relatively pragmatic assessment of the crisis, the former CIA chief said that Russia had taken advantage of last week's eruption of violence in the Caucasus to send a... Times Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061863/posts#comment Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:39:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043036/posts Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced Wednesday that Northrop Grumman and Boeing will have to submit revised proposals for the Air Force’s highly contested aerial refueling tanker program. The Pentagon chief's decision comes after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) upheld Boeing's protest of the Air Force's decision to award the contract to Northrop Grumman and EADS North America, the parent company of Boeing rival Airbus. “I have concluded that the contract cannot be awarded,” Gates said at a Pentagon news conference. Northrop Grumman won the heated competition on Feb. 29, but is currently under a stop-work order. The decision means... The Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043036/posts#comment Wed, 9 Jul 2008 19:15:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2052272/posts Pakistan must do more on its side of the border with Afghanistan to combat terrorist extremists, U.S. defense leaders said Wednesday. “We're seeing a greater number of insurgents and foreign fighters flowing across the border with Pakistan, unmolested and unhindered,” Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a news conference. “This movement needs to stop.” Mullen, who recently returned from a trip to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, said all involved with operations on the border must do a better job of policing the region and eliminating the extremists’ safe havens in Pakistan’s federally administered... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2052272/posts#comment Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:52:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051472/posts WASHINGTON, July 25, 2008 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today called it a “sacred responsibility” to care for the generation of American military children affected by the deployment, and in some cases the death, of a servicemember parent. “The empty seat at the dinner table night after night is a constant reminder of a child’s worry for his or her parent’s safety,” Gates said, according to his prepared remarks. “And there is also the grief and the heartbreak when a loved one is injured or killed -- a grim reality of war.” Roughly 43 percent of U.S. active-duty,... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051472/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:30:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2034874/posts A Harvard University dropout who ushered in the home computer age and made billions of dollars along the way will have his last official day of work at Microsoft on June 27. Three people will essentially fill the void left behind when Bill Gates retires from the company he and friend Paul Allen co-founded in 1975. Since Gate's began his transition from leading Microsoft to heading his personally-bankrolled charity, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation , his job as chief software architect has been handled by Ray Ozzie. Craig Mundie inherited Gate's chief research and strategy officer duties, while former... AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2034874/posts#comment Sun, 22 Jun 2008 23:33:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2034546/posts Barack Obama has never been shy about comparing himself to Abraham Lincoln. He did so when he announced his candidacy at the Illinois state capitol, where both he and Lincoln served in the legislature. "The life of a tall, gangly, self-made Springfield lawyer tells us that a different future is possible," Obama said. "He tells us that there is power in words ... He tells us that there is power in hope." That was, well, audacious, to say the least — and the comparisons have continued, on issues large and small. But the most important similarity, in Obama's mind, is... Time.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2034546/posts#comment Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:42:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2033299/posts Cyber warfare officially arrived on Capitol Hill last week. Two Republican congressmen, Rep. Frank Wolf of Virginia and Rep. Christopher Smith of New Jersey, went public last Wednesday with the news that in 2006 and 2007 their office computer networks had been breached by Chinese hackers. The cyber raiders were not looking for sensitive military or economic data. Instead, they apparently tried to steal political information about Chinese dissidents. Cross Action News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2033299/posts#comment Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:20:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030839/posts BRUSSELS, Belgium, June 13, 2008 – NATO has made significant progress in Afghanistan, and the alliance now needs to deliver on the goals the alliance’s heads of state set when they met in April, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today. Gates spoke during a news conference at NATO headquarters following two days of meetings with NATO defense ministers. Alliance heads of state agreed at their Bucharest, Romania summit in April that more capabilities are needed at the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. They also promised to field all the troops the NATO operations plan calls for.... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030839/posts#comment Fri, 13 Jun 2008 23:12:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030838/posts BRUSSELS, Belgium, June 13, 2008 – It was going to be a typical NATO defense ministers working dinner until Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates threw away his script. Gates spoke from his heart last night during a dinner at which ministers discussed the NATO mission in Afghanistan. According to a U.S. official who was there and later spoke with reporters on background, Gates “was on fire.” The secretary had a 10-page speech prepared, but that went out the window as he began to speak. Gates started by saying he is particularly impassioned about Afghanistan “because in May, U.S. casualties in... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030838/posts#comment Fri, 13 Jun 2008 23:10:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030233/posts BRUSSELS, Belgium, June 12, 2008 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and fellow NATO defense ministers will discuss alliance operations in Afghanistan, the alliance missile defense program, and transition plans for Kosovo during a two-day ministerial beginning here today. The ministers will focus on how NATO nations are moving toward implementing decisions the member nations’ heads of state reached at the alliance’s April summit in Bucharest, Romania, a senior defense official speaking on background told reporters traveling with Gates. Afghanistan will dominate much of the conference, the official said. Gates will participate in meetings centered on NATO’s Regional Command South... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030233/posts#comment Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:26:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029548/posts Behind Gates' Decision to Fire Up the Air Force by Austin Bay The classic World War II-era poster reminded talkative dock workers that "loose lips sink ships." Well, loose nukes present an even more imposing problem, one with continent-cracking possibilities. Last week, when Defense Secretary Robert Gates requested and received the resignations of Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley, Gates' office cited as a reason a Pentagon investigation of lax standards in Air Force oversight of nuclear weapons. One incident involved a USAF bomber with cruise missiles over-flying a wide swath... Townhall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029548/posts#comment Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:26:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029619/posts Air Force's Cultural Shake-Up by Robert Maginnis Last week, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates made history when he simultaneously fired the Air Force’s top military and civilian leaders. Most press accounts attribute the head chopping to a series of institutional failures but the truth is that Gates’ real objective is to radically change the service’s culture. Gates forced Air Force secretary Michael Wynne and the service’s chief of staff, Gen. T. Michael Moseley, to resign following the release of a nuclear investigation which reported a “…pattern of poor performance.” That report proved a tipping point for Gates, whose grievances with... HumanEvents.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029619/posts#comment Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:17:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029512/posts The classic World War II-era poster reminded talkative dock workers that "loose lips sink ships." Well, loose nukes present an even more imposing problem, one with continent-cracking possibilities. Last week, when Defense Secretary Robert Gates requested and received the resignations of Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley, Gates' office cited as a reason a Pentagon investigation of lax standards in Air Force oversight of nuclear weapons. One incident involved a USAF bomber with cruise missiles over-flying a wide swath of the United States -- and the crew didn't know the weapons... Strategy Page http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029512/posts#comment Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:52:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028921/posts Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Monday that he plans to “immediately stop” all further reductions in Air Force personnel. Gates made his promise while addressing airmen at Langley Air Force Base, Va., late Monday afternoon to discuss his ouster of Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley. Along with the usual airmen lost through normal attrition, Air Force leaders had planned to cut an additional 6,800 airmen from the rolls in fiscal 2009, Capt. Michael Andrews, an Air Force spokesman for personnel matters told Stripes on Monday. Of those, 4,700 would have been enlisted... Stars and Stripes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028921/posts#comment Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:14:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028841/posts LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Virginia (AFP) — Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday the importance of the US nuclear arsenal was likely to grow in importance in coming years as Russia moves to strengthen its nuclear forces. Gates said he made the comment in a closed door question-and-answer session with rank-and-file airmen in explaining his decision to replace the air force leadership over two major nuclear blunders. In a speech earlier, Gates told airmen he regretted having to remove General T. Michael Moseley as chief of staff and Michael Wynne as air force secretary. "But there is no room for... AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028841/posts#comment Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:50:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028773/posts When Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates ousted the Air Force’s two top leaders last week, there was more to it than just the service’s reported slip-ups with handling of nuclear weapons, according to Pentagon insiders. The shake-up was a clear message to the Air Force to quit making a direct case for preferred systems and get more “Joint.” It also took from the service its top champions in ongoing roles and missions discussions, decapitating airpower advocacy in the Department of Defense. Gates told reporters at a Pentagon press conference that the nuclear issue was his sole reason for accepting the... Air Force Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028773/posts#comment Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:25:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028383/posts WASHINGTON -- In a sign of how urgently he wants to shake up the Air Force, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced today he was appointing the first non-fighter pilot to become the service's chief of staff in more than 25 years. The nomination of Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, who is currently head of the Pentagon's transportation command and rose through the ranks as a pilot of military cargo planes, marks a significant break for the Air Force, which has been led by fighter and bomber pilots almost since its inception after World War II. In his announcement naming Schwartz,... LA Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028383/posts#comment Mon, 9 Jun 2008 17:24:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026961/posts WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert Gates ousted the Air Force's top officials Thursday, holding them to account in a historic military shake-up for failing to ensure the security of sensitive materials, including nuclear missile warhead fuses that were mistakenly shipped to Taiwan. Gates announced at a Pentagon news conference that he had accepted the resignations of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley and Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne — a highly unusual double firing. Gates cited two embarrassing incidents in the past year. In one, a B-52 bomber was mistakenly armed with six nuclear-tipped cruise missiles and flown... MSNBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026961/posts#comment Fri, 6 Jun 2008 11:27:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2024024/posts President George W. Bush will leave a "strong and positive legacy" in Asia and his successor will maintain engagement in the region, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said Saturday. Gates told a high-level security forum here that any speculation that the United States was losing interest in the region was "preposterous." "Actually I think this will be an area where there will be a strong and positive legacy in the future," he told the forum, six months before the US presidential elections. "Any speculation in the region about the United States losing interest in Asia strikes me as either preposterous,... AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2024024/posts#comment Sat, 31 May 2008 16:30:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2024012/posts Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates issued a set of thinly veiled warnings to China on Saturday, cautioning that it could risk its share of further gains in Asia’s economic prosperity if it bullied its neighbors over natural resources in contested areas like the South China Sea. Three years ago at the same lectern here, Mr. Gates’s predecessor, Donald H. Rumsfeld, bluntly criticized China’s swift military buildup. Last year Mr. Gates struck a more conciliatory tone, saying Beijing and Washington had a chance to “build trust over time.” Mr. Gates seemed to take a third approach in his remarks to a... NYT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2024012/posts#comment Sat, 31 May 2008 16:00:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2021589/posts ALINGTON, Va., May 26, 2008 – Under sunny skies and before a multitude gathered at the Tomb of the Unknowns on Arlington National Cemetery here, President Bush today honored the sacrifices of American men and women in uniform who gave their lives in the service of their country. President Bush delivers a Memorial Day address in the Tomb of the Unknowns amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery, Va., May 26, 2008. Seated behind the commander in chief are Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, left, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Army Maj. Gen. Richard J.... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2021589/posts#comment Mon, 26 May 2008 21:37:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2017121/posts WASHINGTON, May 16, 2008 – America needs dedicated public servants now more than ever, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told graduates at the Virginia Military Institute, in Lexington, Va., today. Gates congratulated the 246 graduates of the state military college on their accomplishments and said the institute has taught them lessons on the importance of public service and duty to their fellow citizens. “For generations, VMI has graduated young people ready to raise their right hands and defend their homeland,” the secretary said. “This is something to be grateful for in any time period, but never more so than in... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2017121/posts#comment Fri, 16 May 2008 23:41:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2017101/posts WASHINGTON, May 16, 2008 – The Defense Department needs to worry more about what warfighters need right now than what they may need down the road, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said last night. In a speech to the Business Executives for National Security group, Gates said he will work for the remainder of his time in office to ensure the department fulfills its “sacred obligation” to support U.S. servicemembers now fighting on the front lines. This means doing all that is needed to “see that they are successful on the battlefield and properly cared for at home,” Gates... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2017101/posts#comment Fri, 16 May 2008 23:17:35 GMT