Robert Gates actually said...

First, to reaffirm our commitment to take care of the All Volunteer Force, which in my view represents America's greatest strategic asset.

As I told a group of soldiers in Afghanistan, they have done their job; now it is time for us in Washington to do ours.

Congress, you all have made your intentions well-known in that regard.

It is simply not reasonable to expect the defense budget to continue increasing at the same rate it has over the last number of years.