Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Quote of the day: Gates fighting, warning and philosophizing

I’ve thought for awhile that Robert Gates is the best defense secretary we’ve ever had, kind of a William Perry but with a killer instinct. I like the determined way he took on the pork barrelers in the fight over the F-22 fighter. Two of his recent observations only confirm my opinion. First, from his ...

583233_090722_gates5.jpg
583233_090722_gates5.jpg
CAIRO, EGYPT - MAY 5: U.S. Secretary of Defence Robert Gates attends a press conference at the Presidential Palace following his meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo on May 5, 2009 in Cairo, Egypt. Gates is visiting Egypt to hold talks with President Mubarak and Arab leaders, to discuss Washington's diplomatic approach to Iran. (Photo by Jason Reed -Pool/Getty Images)

I've thought for awhile that Robert Gates is the best defense secretary we've ever had, kind of a William Perry but with a killer instinct. I like the determined way he took on the pork barrelers in the fight over the F-22 fighter.

Two of his recent observations only confirm my opinion.

I’ve thought for awhile that Robert Gates is the best defense secretary we’ve ever had, kind of a William Perry but with a killer instinct. I like the determined way he took on the pork barrelers in the fight over the F-22 fighter.

Two of his recent observations only confirm my opinion.

First, from his July 16 speech in Chicago, this warning:

…The president is the eighth president I’ve worked for, and I do not recall a single time in my entire professional career when I felt that the country faced as complex and, in many respects, dangerous a time as we do now.”

I also find the following comment Gates made at a press conference on Monday quite interesting. I hadn’t seen this thought expressed this way:

…We’re living in a time not only of great change, but also great simultaneity. Many things are happening all at once in many different places; and though we may be tired, we must stay focused.”

Not bad for an old Sovietologist.

Update: In this item, the second quotation, about “simultaneity,” was not said by Gates, but by Adm. Mike Mullen in the same joint press conference. I apologize for the error.

Jason Reed – Pool/Getty Images

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1
Tags: Military, North America, U.S. Congress, U.S. Foreign Policy

Trending

  1. 1
    Roe Abolition Makes U.S. a Global Outlier
  2. 2
    What Actually Happens When a Country Bans Abortion
  3. 3
    Will the Kaliningrad Crisis Lead to War?
  4. 4
    How AMLO Has Fueled Mexico’s Drug War
  5. 5
    From Pushkin to Putin: Russian Literature’s Imperial Ideology
Latest Analysis

Here’s How to Help Ukraine Handle Putin’s Food Blockade
Daniel B. Baer, Oleksandra Betliy

U.S. Aid to Saudi Arabia on Missile Defense Is Not Unconditional 
Bilal Y. Saab

Europe on the Edges
Robert D. Kaplan

More from Foreign Policy

A worker cuts the nose off the last Ukraine's Tupolev-22M3, the Soviet-made strategic aircraft able to carry nuclear weapons at a military base in Poltava, Ukraine on Jan. 27, 2006. A total of 60 aircraft were destroyed according to the USA-Ukrainian disarmament agreement.
A worker cuts the nose off the last Ukraine's Tupolev-22M3, the Soviet-made strategic aircraft able to carry nuclear weapons at a military base in Poltava, Ukraine on Jan. 27, 2006. A total of 60 aircraft were destroyed according to the USA-Ukrainian disarmament agreement.

Why Do People Hate Realism So Much?

The school of thought doesn’t explain everything—but its proponents foresaw the potential for conflict over Ukraine long before it erupted.

Employees watch a cargo ship at a port in China, which is experiencing an economic downturn.
Employees watch a cargo ship at a port in China, which is experiencing an economic downturn.

China’s Crisis of Confidence

What if, instead of being a competitor, China can no longer afford to compete at all?

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testifies in the U.S. Senate in Washington on Sept. 24, 2020.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testifies in the U.S. Senate in Washington on Sept. 24, 2020.

Why This Global Economic Crisis Is Different

This is the first time since World War II that there may be no cooperative way out.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and Premier Li Keqiang applaud at the closing session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 11.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and Premier Li Keqiang applaud at the closing session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 11.

China Is Hardening Itself for Economic War

Beijing is trying to close economic vulnerabilities out of fear of U.S. containment.

Trending

  1. Roe Abolition Makes U.S. a Global Outlier
    Infographic |
    FP Staff

  2. What Actually Happens When a Country Bans Abortion
    Analysis |
    Amy Mackinnon

  3. Will the Kaliningrad Crisis Lead to War?
    It's Debatable |
    Emma Ashford, Matthew Kroenig

  4. How AMLO Has Fueled Mexico’s Drug War
    Dispatch |
    Jared Olson

  5. From Pushkin to Putin: Russian Literature’s Imperial Ideology
    Analysis |
    Volodymyr Yermolenko
Latest

From Pushkin to Putin: Russian Literature’s Imperial Ideology

Nepal’s Big EV Bet

Afghans Battle Another Blow After Big Earthquake

What in the World?

Japan Is Getting Real on Security After Ukraine
See All Stories