Levin: Mullen And Gates Agreement On DADT Repeal Not Election Driven

Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) responds to Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) accusation that the Democrats push to pass the Defense Authorization Bill is election driven. (0:55)

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START Treaty Will Not Restrict U.S. Missile Defenses, Says Defense Secretary

At a Senate Armed Service Committee hearing on Thursday, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said that the New START Treaty would not put restrictions on the U.S. missile defense. (0:14)
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Iran Not As Close To Having Nukes As They Claim, Says Gates

Department of Defense Secretary Robert Gates dismisses new reports out today about officials in Iran saying they are thirty days away from having a nuclear weapon. (0:13)
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Gates: It Is A Matter Of 'How' To Repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' Not If

Defense Secretary Robert Gates says that the repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is in process. He says that its a matter of 'how' to repeal the band, not 'if.' (0:20)
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Gates:Much Of This Will Eventually Come Out

By Candyce Torres, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service. U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates discusses his concerns regarding the protection of the CIA officers who were involved in the interrogations.
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Gates: We reaffirmed commitment to Korea

At a joint briefing with the Minister of Defense- Korea, held at the Pentagon, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says the United States reaffirmed its commitment to Korea, including an extention of its “nuclear umbrella.” He says they urge a swift resolution to the issue in North Korea using the six party talks. (0:52)
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Gates: Two considerations about Afghanistan

At the Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing on the Situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says “think about how heavy a military footprint the United States ought to have in Afghanistan, and are we better off channeling resources into building and expanding the size of the Afghan National Army as quickly as possible, as opposed to a much larger Western footprint in a country that has never been notoriously hospitable to foreigners regardless of why they are there.” I think that’s one question that we, and the next president, will have to weigh. In terms of the number of forces we have on the ground, a second consideration is that without changing deployment patterns and length of tours, we do not have the forces to send three additional brigade combat teams to Afghanistan at this point, but that we will probably have the availability to do so in the spring or summer of 2009. The President made a promise to send troops, but that’s obviously going to be up to his successor. (1:43)


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Gates: War on terror must end where it started

At the Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing on the Situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says during this time of political turmoil in Pakistan it is especially crucial to maintain a strong and positive relationship with the government since any deterioration would be a setback for both Pakistan and Afghanistan. “The war on terror started in this region; it must end there.” (0:19)
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Gates: Nation's leaders should take advice of senior commanders

At the Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing on the Situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says as we proceed deeper into the endgame, he says he would urge our nation’s leaders to take into account the advice of senior commanders and military leaders, and that we should expect to be involved in Iraq in the years to come although in changing and increasingly limited ways. (0:26)
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Gates: We have not neglected Afghanistan

During a trip to Afghanistan, the Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says that the United States has not neglected Afghanistan and lists the troop deployments the U.S. has sent there. (0:33)
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The transition from the surge

While traveling to Baghdad, the Secretary of Defense Robert Gates speaks about the transition of security in Iraq from the surge strategy to more of an overwatch role. Gates says that the U.S. will still be engaged even as Iraqi security forces start to take over responsibility for several provinces. (0:43)
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Memorial in the same flight path as American Flight 77

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates speaks at a ceremony to dedicate the Pentagon September 11 Memorial. He says that succeeding generations will not recall as vividly the events of that day and that makes the memorial, which is beneath the same flight path as the highjacked plane of Sept. 11, all the more important. (0:22)
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Gates: U.S. in Iraq for years to come

Speaking about troop reductions, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says that there are many options for the next president in terms of the war in Iraq and that that president should expect to have troops in Iraq for years to come. (0:40)
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Gates: Iran missile threat in the next 10- 15 years

During a press briefing at the Pentagon, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says that Iran is clearly trying to develop missiles with greater ranges and says that Iran presents a threat in the near future. (0:27)
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Gates: troops in Afghanistan sooner rather than later

During a press conference at the Pentagon, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says that the Defense Department is working hard to find opportunities to send more troops to Afghanistan "sooner rather than later." (0:50)


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Coalition forces short on trainers, affecting police progress

Speaking at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce North American Forum, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says that the forces in Afghanistan are 3,000 police trainers short. He says that the Afghan police are the ones who will fulfill a role similar to the "Sons of Iraq" and act as the local force to keep out the Taliban. (0:52)
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Underwhelmed by the Department of Homeland Security

Speaking at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce North American Forum, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates explains why he was "underwhelmed" by the creation of the Department of Homeland Security based on his experience with the Department of Defense. (0:37)
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Reports of abuse are a "black eye" for the United States

During a press conference at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates comments on the recent Supreme Court decision that detainees at Guantanamo Bay prison have the right to challenge their detention in U.S. courts. He says that the early reports of prisoner abuse at Guantanamo were a black eye for the United States. (0:48)
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More coalition deaths in Afghanistan than Iraq

During the press conference while traveling at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says that in May there were more coalition deaths in Afghanistan than Iraq. (0:40)
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We wasted an opportunity to engage Iran

During a hearing on the Department of Defense, the Secretary of Defense Robert Gates speaks about leverage when seeking to engage Iran and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) responds saying that the U.S. missed it's opportunity to engage Iran in 2003. (0:42)
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