The Inquisitr » robert gates

Gates: AP Lacks Compassion For Using Photo Of Wounded Marine

AHN — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 22:18:43 +0000

Washington, D.C. (AHN) – Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Friday called the Associated Press as lacking in compassion for circulating the photo of a wounded Marine in Afghanistan against the wishes of the soldier’s family.

“I cannot imagine the pain and suffering Lance Corporal Joshua M. Bernard’s death has caused his family. Why your organization would purposefully defy the family’s wishes knowing full well that it will lead to more anguish is beyond me. Your lack of compassion and common sense in choosing to put this image of their maimed and stricken child on the front page of multiple American newspapers is appalling,” the Department of Defense’s website and Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell quoted Gates as saying in the letter to AP.

Bernard’s family in New Portland, Maine had asked the news agency not to run the photo of the wounded soldier taken on Aug. 14 by an embedded reporter.

The AP defended its decision to distribute the photo to its newspaper clients. In a posted statement on its website, AP said it wanted to show how war is grim and how young people involved in it sacrifice their lives.

Gates: U.S. Offer Of Talks To Iran Only Until September

AHN — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 01:20:56 +0000

Jerusalem, Israel (AHN) – In Jerusalem for talks on the peace process and Middle East security, Defense Sec. Robert Gates on Monday said the Obama administration is hoping for Iran to respond U.S. offers of diplomacy regarding its nuclear program by September, when the United Nations General Assembly opens.

A nuclear-armed Iran “would be profoundly destabilizing to the entire region and a threat certainly to Israel, the United States and other countries in the region,” Gates said in a press conference after meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

“The president is fully aware that the Iranians may simply try to run out the clock,” he added. “I think the president is hoping for some kind of response by this fall… achieving long-term security for Israel is ultimately dependent on a sustainable, comprehensive Middle East peace.”

U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell is also in the region in a separate trip and will meet with Netanyahu on Tuesday.

Iran has received international condemnation for its nuclear proliferation program, which it has said is for non-military purposes.

The United States is part of a group of six nations called the P5+1 that are in talks with Iran about denuclearization. The group includes China, France, Germany, the Russian Federation and the United Kingdom.

There is concern that Israel, perceiving an existential threat, may decide to act unilaterally and strike at Iran to end the Islamic nation’s nuclear program, a decision Barak did not discount during his talks with Gates.

“Israel retains its position that no option should be taken off the table,” he said. “Of course, at this stage, priority still should be given to diplomacy and international cooperation.”

Iran has received three sets of United Nations sanctions over its nuclear program. In February, it announced that it had launched its first locally made satellite into orbit, prompting concerns from Western nations.

The Islamic nation is also facing continued unrest over the results of its June 12 presidential elections. Only its 10th election since the 1979 revolution, massive rallies were held by pro and anti-government protesters in the days after incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner. Opposiition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi had rejected the offer of a recount and called for new elections, citing evidence of “illegal activities” such as the “open involvement of some members of the government…. in favor of the incumbent,” voter intimidation, vote buying and loss of ballots and ballot boxes.

The turmoil has been cited by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in discussing the progress of nuclear talks with Iran towards a September deadline.

“There does not seem to be a capacity within Iran to be able to significantly respond to the offer of engagement that we have made in a number of different frames,” Assistant Secretary of State Philip Crowley said last week, elaborating Clinton’s statement. “We’ll have to wait and see

where Iran is and at what time they determine that they can kind of give us an indication of what they are either willing to or are able to do.”

“There are other avenues for engagement and potentially for cooperation in the context of Afghanistan and, of course, bilateral. But the ball is clearly in Iran’s court, and obviously, right now, the government has its hands full,” Crowley added.

Clinton is facing questions over her statement last week saying if the United States extends a “defense umbrella” over the Middle East, Iran will not be able to continue intimidating other states.

But the Secretary over the weekend refused to respond to the controversy caused by her remark, saying on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” “It’s clear that we’re trying to affect the internal calculus of the Iranian regime. The Iranian Government, which is facing its own challenges of legitimacy from its people, has to know that its pursuit of nuclear weapons, something that our country along with our allies stand strongly against.”

“What we want to do is to send a message to whoever is making these decisions that if you’re pursuing nuclear weapons for the purpose of intimidating… we’re not going to let that happen… your pursuit is futile,” she added.

Clinton also expressed assurance that although Israel is free to “act in the furtherance of their survival,” the United States has “a long, durable relationship” with Israel and both nations are working together with other allies to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear weapons state.

Pentagon Temporarily Increases U.S. Army By 22,000

AHN — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:00:47 +0000

Washington, D.C. (AHN) – Defense Sec. Robert Gates on Monday said he was increasing the size of the U.S. Army by 22,000 soldiers over the next three years to help U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, wars he described as “faster-paced against an even more adaptive enemy.”

In a press conference, Gates said he will add to the active-duty end strength of the Army from the current authoroized end-strength of 547,000, to a temporary 569,000. “These additional forces will be used to ensure that our deploying units are properly manned, and not to create new combat formations,” he said.

The increase will be implemented over the next three fiscal years, which begins when the 2009 fiscal year ends on Sept. 30. It will also cost $100 million for the two remaining months this year, and about $1 billion in 2010.

“The department will not seek additional funds for fiscal years ‘09 or 2010 to implement this decision, and will work with OMB and the Congress in putting together the necessary fiscal program in the remaining two years,” Gates said.

“We will take that money from some place that we think isn’t as high a priority as more soldiers and taking some additional steps to relieve the stress on the force,” he added. “This is a very high priority, and this is why, frankly, some of the wheeling and dealing on the Hill of a few hundred million here and a few hundred million there for a pet project here and a pet project there confront us with ever more difficult choices when we’re trying to make trade-offs in terms of how do we help our soldiers out, how do we relieve the stress on the force.”

There are about 58,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan and 130,000 in Iraq.

The United States is currently increasing its troops in Afghanistan by 21,000. The new troops will train Afghan Security Forces following a shift in the U.S. mission to training and increasing the size of the Afghan Army to 134,000, and the police force to 82,000 by 2011.

The Pentagon launched its first major offensive in Afghanistan under the Obama administration early this month, with 4,000 Marines and 650 Afghan soldiers sweeping through and securing the Helmand River valley.

Helmand is where over 90 percent of Afghanistan’s opium is harvested and where militants support their activities from one of the world’s largest poppy fields.

Operation Khanjar or Strike of the Sword has proved costly in terms of lives lost, with July becoming the deadliest month for American troops since the 2001 invasion.

In Iraq, American forces withdrew from cities and localities on June 30 as part of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) signed by the U.S. and Iraqi governments December last year. In the weeks preceding the removal of troops, violence was at the lowest levels since the 2003 U.S-led invasion.

But it quickly picked up, with a bomb inthe oil-rich province of Kirkuk on the same day American troops left, that killed 33 people and injured 97 others, and several explosions a week after that left 41 people dead.

Speaking during the same press conference as Gates, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen said, ” I’ve grown increasingly concerned over the last year and a half about stress on the force and our ability to meet the demands out there. This temporary increase helps us address that concern.”

“It will also help us get a better handle on dwell time and boost the number of people we can deploy with the capabilities our commanders most need,” he added. “And that’s really the larger point here. It’s not just about relief. It’s about renewing our efforts to fight these two wars.”

Obama’s Security Team: Who’s Susan Rice?

JR — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:34:49 +0000

President-elect Barack Obama has announced his selections for America’s top national security posts. Among them is the foreign policy adviser from his campaign, Susan Rice, who will become ambassador to the United Nations.

Susan Rice Bio

Susan Rice, perhaps the least known of the nominees, will be a full-fledged Cabinet member in her role — a shift from past administrations. Rice, 44, will be the second-youngest person to ever hold the U.N. adviser post.

Susan Rice entered government life in 1993 as a member of President Bill Clinton’s National Security Council staff. She eventually became assistant secretary of state for African affairs. Rice created a small stir when she decided to join Obama’s campaign rather than Hillary Clinton’s because of this past association. Now, she will be working closely with Ms. Clinton as part of the new administration.

Rice is known for her criticism of the Bush administration’s response to the Darfur killings. The Save Darfur Coalition has already expressed excitement about her appointment and how it could help reshape the region.

Susan Rice’s bio also includes a stint as senior fellow in foreign policy at independent research firm the Brookings Institution — the job she currently holds — as well as a role as senior adviser for national security affairs on the John Kerry 2004 presidential campaign. She previously worked as a management consultant for McKinsey and Company.

Susan Rice graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in history. She received a doctorate in international relations from Oxford.

The Other Nominees

As expected, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton will become secretary of state. Current Bush administration defense secretary Robert Gates will remain in that role within Obama’s team. Other appointments include retired Marine General James Jones as White House national security adviser, former Justice Department official Eric Holder as attorney general, and Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano as secretary of homeland security. You can read bios of all of the new team members here.

The president-elect promised he and his staff would work to develop a new military mission, “responsibly ending the war in Iraq through a successful transition to Iraqi control.”

Obama’s inauguration takes place January 20.

Speech and Remarks

The nominees’ remarks are below in video form, followed by the full text of Barack Obama’s speech from Monday’s national security appointments announcement.

Good morning. Last week, we announced our economic team, which is working as we speak to craft an Economic Recovery Program to create jobs and grow our struggling economy. Today, Vice President-elect Biden and I are pleased to announce our national security team.

The national security challenges we face are just as grave — and just as urgent — as our economic crisis. We are fighting two wars. Old conflicts remain unresolved, and newly assertive powers have put strains on the international system. The spread of nuclear weapons raises the peril that the world’s deadliest technology could fall into dangerous hands. Our dependence on foreign oil empowers authoritarian governments and endangers our planet.

America must also be strong at home to be strong abroad. We need to provide education and opportunity for our citizens, so every American can compete with anyone, anywhere. And our economic power must sustain our military strength, our diplomatic leverage, and our global leadership.

The common thread linking these challenges is the fundamental reality that in the 21st century, our destiny is shared with the world’s. From our markets to our security; from our public health to our climate — we must act with the understanding that, now more than ever, we have a stake in what happens across the globe. And as we learned so painfully on 9/11, terror cannot be contained by borders, nor safety provided by oceans alone.

Last week, we were reminded of this threat once again when terrorists took the lives of six American among nearly 200 victims in Mumbai. In the world we seek, there is no place for those who kill innocent civilians to advance hateful extremism. This weekend, I told Prime Minister Singh that Americans stand with the people of India in this dark time. And I am confident that India’s great democracy is more resilient than killers who would tear it down.

And so, in this uncertain world, the time has come for a new beginning — a new dawn of American leadership to overcome the challenges of the 21st century, and to seize the opportunities embedded in those challenges. We will strengthen our capacity to defeat our enemies and support our friends. We will renew old alliances and forge new and enduring partnerships. We will show the world once more that America is relentless in defense of our people, steady in advancing our interests, and committed to the ideals that shine as a beacon to the world: democracy and justice; opportunity and unyielding hope — because American values are America’s greatest export to the world.

To succeed, we must pursue a new strategy that skillfully uses, balances, and integrates all elements of American power: our military and diplomacy; our intelligence and law enforcement; our economy and the power of our moral example. The team that we have assembled here today is uniquely suited to do just that.

In their past service and plans for the future, these men and women represent all of those elements of American power, and the very best of the American example. They have served in uniform and as diplomats; they have worked as legislators, law enforcement officials, and executives. They share my pragmatism about the use of power, and my sense of purpose about America’s role as a leader in the world.

I have known Hillary Clinton as a friend, a colleague, a source of counsel, and as a campaign opponent. She possesses an extraordinary intelligence and toughness, and a remarkable work ethic. I am proud that she will be our next Secretary of State. She is an American of tremendous stature who will have my complete confidence; who knows many of the world’s leaders; who will command respect in every capitol; and who will clearly have the ability to advance our interests around the world.

Hillary’s appointment is a sign to friend and foe of the seriousness of my commitment to renew American diplomacy and restore our alliances. There is much to do — from preventing the spread of nuclear weapons to Iran and North Korea, to seeking a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians, to strengthening international institutions. I have no doubt that Hillary Clinton is the right person to lead our State Department, and to work with me in tackling this ambitious foreign policy agenda.

At a time when we face an unprecedented transition amidst two wars, I have asked Robert Gates to continue as Secretary of Defense, and I’m pleased that he’s accepted. Two years ago, he took over the Pentagon at a difficult time. He restored accountability. He won the confidence of military commanders, and the trust of our brave men and women in uniform, and their families. He earned the respect of members of Congress on both sides of the aisle for his pragmatism and competence. He knows that we need a sustainable national security strategy — and that includes a bipartisan consensus at home.

As I said throughout the campaign, I will be giving Secretary Gates and our military a new mission as soon as I take office: responsibly ending the war in Iraq through a successful transition to Iraqi control. We will also ensure that we have the strategy — and resources — to succeed against al Qaeda and the Taliban. As Bob said not too long ago, Afghanistan is where the war on terror began, and it is where it must end. And going forward, we will continue to make the investments necessary to strengthen our military and increase our ground forces to defeat the threats of the 21st century.

Eric Holder has the talent and commitment to succeed as Attorney General from his first day on the job, which is even more important in a transition that demands vigilance. He has distinguished himself as a prosecutor, a Judge, and a senior official, and he is deeply familiar with the law enforcement challenges we face– from terrorism to counter-intelligence; from white collar crime to public corruption.

Eric also has the combination of toughness and independence that we need at the Justice Department. Let me be clear: the Attorney General serves the American people. And I have every expectation that Eric will protect our people, uphold the public trust, and adhere to our Constitution.

Janet Napolitano offers the experience and executive skill that we need in the next Secretary of Homeland Security. She has spent her career protecting people — as a US Attorney, an Attorney General, and as Governor of Arizona. She understands the need for a Department of Homeland Security that has the capacity to help prevent terrorist attacks and respond to catastrophe — be it manmade or natural.

Janet assumes this critical role having learned the lessons — some of them painful — of the last several years, from 9/11 to Katrina. She insists on competence and accountability. She knows firsthand the need to have a partner in Washington that works well with state and local governments. She understands as well as anyone the danger of an unsecure border. And she will be a leader who can reform a sprawling Department while safeguarding our homeland.

Susan Rice will take on the crucial task of serving as Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations. Susan has been a close and trusted advisor. As in previous Administrations, the UN Ambassador will serve as a member of my cabinet and integral member of my team. Her background as a scholar, on the National Security Council, and Assistant Secretary of State will serve our nation well at the United Nations.

Susan knows that the global challenges we face demand global institutions that work. She shares my belief that the UN is an indispensable — and imperfect — forum. She will carry the message that our commitment to multilateral action must be coupled with a commitment to reform. We need the UN to be more effective as a venue for collective action — against terror and proliferation; climate change and genocide; poverty and disease.

Finally, I am convinced that General James Jones is uniquely suited to be a strong and skilled National Security Advisor. Generations of Joneses have served heroically on the battlefield — from the beaches of Tarawa in World War II, to Foxtrot Ridge in Vietnam. Jim’s Silver Star is a proud part of that legacy. He will bring to the job the dual experience of serving in uniform and as a diplomat. He has commanded a platoon in battle, served as Supreme Allied Commander in a time of war, and worked on behalf of peace in the Middle East.

Jim is focused on the threats of today and the future. He understands the connection between energy and national security, and has worked on the frontlines of global instability – from Kosovo to northern Iraq to Afghanistan. He will advise me and work effectively to integrate our efforts across the government, so that we are effectively using all elements of American power to defeat unconventional threats and promote our values.

I am confident that this is the team that we need to make a new beginning for American national security. This morning, we met to discuss the situation in Mumbai and some of the challenges that we face in the months and years ahead. In the coming weeks, I will be in close contact with these advisors, who will be working with their counterparts in the Bush Administration to make sure that we are ready to hit the ground running on January 20. Given the range of threats that we face — and the vulnerability that can be a part of every presidential transition — I hope that we can proceed swiftly for those national security officials who demand confirmation.

We move forward with the humility that comes with knowing that there are brave men and women protecting us on the front lines. Troops serving their second, third, or fourth tours. Diplomats and intelligence officers in dangerous corners of the world. FBI agents in the field, cops on the beat, prosecutors in our courts, and cargo inspectors at our ports. These selfless Americans whose names are unknown to most of us will form the backbone of our effort. If we serve as well as they do, we will protect our country and promote our values.

And we move forward with respect for America’s tradition of a bipartisan national security policy, and a commitment to national unity. When it comes to keeping our nation and our people safe, we are not Republicans and we are not Democrats: we are Americans. There is no monopoly of power or wisdom in either party. Together, as one nation, as one people, we can shape our times instead of being shaped by them. Together, we will meet the challenges of the 21st century not with fear, but with hope.

Now, before I take questions, I’d like to invite my team to say a few words, starting with my friend Hillary Clinton. Thank you.

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