Robert M. Gates

03 May 2007 -- In a speech before the Dallas Chamber of Commerce Thursday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates cautioned against allowing weariness with the war in Iraq to provoke a withdrawal that he said would bring chaos to the Middle East.

Secretary Gates said the United States has a responsibility as a global leader to pursue the war in Iraq and the larger war on terrorism, in spite of the high cost in lives and resources and the effect those costs may have on public opinion.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, May 1, 2007 – Commanders on the ground expected the rise in violence that has accompanied the U.S. troop surge into Baghdad, and the new security plan there will take time to be effective, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today.    » read more »

MOSCOW, April 23, 2007 – The United States intends to be prepared for future threats and is inviting Russia to become a partner in a defensive endeavor, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today.

“We now face new threats that require new strategy for both deterrence and defense,” Gates told U.S. and Russian reporters. “Moreover, the ever-increasing pace of technological innovation, combined with the proliferation of mass destruction and delivery systems, means the threats we face now may be much more ominous in 10 to 20 years.    » read more »

MOSCOW, April 23, 2007 – U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, here for meetings with Russian leaders, expressed his sympathies on today’s death of former Russian President Boris Yeltsin.

“He was an important man in Russian history,” Gates told U.S. and Russian reporters here.

Gates is in Moscow to meet with President Vladimir Putin and other senior Russian leaders to discuss U.S. plans to deploy missile defense assets in Eastern Europe. From here, the secretary is slated to travel to Poland and Germany to meet with senior leaders on the topic.    » read more »

MOSCOW, April 23, 2007 – The United States and Russia will form a working group of experts to discuss the proposed U.S. plan to base missile defenses in Eastern Europe, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced here today.

“The key to this is cooperation,” the secretary said. “We would like to have the Russians as partners in this process. We would like to share information with them. We’re prepared to collocate radars with them. We think there are some real opportunities here for both sides.”    » read more »

MOSCOW, April 23, 2007 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates arrived here yesterday to meet with President Vladimir Putin and other top Russian security officials to discuss U.S. plans to base missile defense assets in Eastern Europe.

The United States, Europe and Russia face a common threat posed by such rogue nations as Iran and need to act cooperatively, a senior administration official traveling with the secretary said on background. Russian officials, however, have downplayed the threat from Iran and have expressed opposition to the plan, he noted.    » read more »