Gates To Stay On

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced Jan. 8 that he plans to remain in office for at least one more year. Gates, the sole Cabinet holdover from the Bush administration, has held the job since succeeding Donald Rumsfeld in December 2006. During his tenure, Gates stood at the forefront of decisions to kill the Air Force's F-22 Raptor fighter and Army Future Combat Systems programs, fired Secretary of the Army Francis Howard in March 2007 amid reports of poor conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and ousted Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne and Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley in June 2008, after news reports revealed the service's faulty handing of nuclear weapons security and issues with bidding on contracts to replace the aging fleet of KC-135 tanker aircraft. Gates made public his decision to stay on after meeting with President Obama in December.

 

Back | Published: August 27, 2010