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Robert M. Gates

CIA Director (1991-93). US Secretary of Defense (since 2006).

7 articles

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How America can counter Putin’s moves in Syria

by Condoleezza Rice, Robert M. Gates

How America can counter Putin's moves in Syria

Washington D. C. (États-Unis) | 8 October 2015
One can hear the disbelief in capitals from Washington to London to Berlin to Ankara and beyond. How can Vladimir Putin, with a sinking economy and a second-rate military, continually dictate the course of geopolitical events? Whether it’s in Ukraine or Syria, the Russian president seems always to have the upper hand.
Sometimes the reaction is derision: This is a sign of weakness. Or smugness: He will regret the decision to intervene. Russia cannot possibly succeed. Or alarm: This will make (...)

Robert Gates’ farewell speech on NATO

by Robert M. Gates

Robert Gates' farewell speech on NATO

Brussels (Belgium) | 10 June 2011
Thank you, Mr. Secretary General, Jaap, for that kind introduction.
And my thanks to Giles Merritt and the Security and Defense Agenda for the opportunity to speak here today. This is Day 11 of an 11-day international trip so you can understand why I am very much looking forward to getting home. But I am glad – at this time, in this venue – to share some thoughts with you this morning about the transatlantic security relationship in what will be my last policy speech as U.S. defense (...)

Statement on Libya by Robert Gates (House Armed Services Committee)

by Robert M. Gates

Statement on Libya by Robert Gates (House Armed Services Committee)

31 March 2011
Thank you Mr. Chairman, and thank you for the opportunity to speak to the ongoing international military operations in Libya.
I would start by providing some context on how we got to this point, at least from my perspective. In the space of about two months, the world has watched an extraordinary story unfold in the Middle East. The turbulence being experienced by virtually every country in the region presents both perils and promise for the United States, as stability and progress in (...)

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ speech to cadets at the West Point U.S. Military Academy

by Robert M. Gates

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates' speech to cadets at the West Point U.S. Military Academy

25 February 2011
United States Military Academy
West Point, New York
Friday, February 25, 2011
Thank you General, for that introduction. It’s a pleasure to be back here at West Point, although as I often say, it’s always a pleasure to be away from Washington, D.C.
One of the greatest privileges of serving as Secretary of Defense over the last 4-plus years is the opportunity to visit the service academies – to speak to and hear from the future leadership of the finest military in the world. This will be (...)

Op-Ed by Robert Gates : Helping Others Defend Themselves

by Robert M. Gates

Op-Ed by Robert Gates : Helping Others Defend Themselves

Washington D. C. (États-Unis) | 19 April 2010
In the decades to come, the most lethal threats to the United States’ safety and security — a city poisoned or reduced to rubble by a terrorist attack — are likely to emanate from states that cannot adequately govern themselves or secure their own territory. Dealing with such fractured or failing states is, in many ways, the main security challenge of our time.
For the Defense Department and the entire U.S. government, it is also a complex institutional challenge. The United States is (...)

Remarks by Robert Gates — NATO Strategic Concept Seminar

by Robert M. Gates

Remarks by Robert Gates — NATO Strategic Concept Seminar

Washington D. C. (États-Unis) | 23 February 2010
Hans,
Mr. Secretary General,
Secretary Albright,
Admiral Rondeau,
General Abrial,
it is a pleasure to be here with you today.
And my thanks also to Allied Command Transformation and the National Defense University for hosting this seminar. I can think of no better setting for a discussion of the future of the transatlantic alliance than an institution like this one, devoted to educating a new generation of national-security leaders.
This seminar, the final one before the group of (...)

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How America can counter Putin’s moves in Syria

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ speech to cadets at the West Point U.S. Military Academy

Remarks by Robert Gates — NATO Strategic Concept Seminar

Op-Ed by Robert Gates : Helping Others Defend Themselves

Robert Gates’ farewell speech on NATO

Statement on Libya by Robert Gates (House Armed Services Committee)