Robert Gates

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

There is no one silver bullet that is going to correct all the problems.

The President has been very explicit and was very explicit I think in his speech that this remaining force will engage in counter-terrorism operations.

Yes. The president's been very explicit and was very explicit, I think, in his speech, that this remaining force will engage in counterterrorism operations.

the goals we did have for Afghanistan are too broad and too far into the future.

we need more concrete goals that can be achieved realistically within 3 to 5 years.

There is no purely military solution in Afghanistan.

Iraq's ability to plan and conduct legitimate elections--to include the recently concluded provincial elections--is a significant demonstration of the Government of Iraq's development and maturation.

I have a clear understanding of my responsibilities and authorities under both title 10 and title 50 of the United States Code.

Senator, your question is very timely. The administration will conduct a strategic review of our policies toward Pakistan and Afghanistan to determine what we should and can do.

I promise you that as long as I remain in this post I will focus on creating a unified defense strategy that determines our budget priorities.

The idea of making the Chief of the National Guard Bureau (CNGB) a member of the JCS has been debated for quite some time.

I assure you that you are no more surprised to see me back than I am.

Your point that the Guard and Reserve are manned by professionals is a very good one.

The secret to success from a security standpoint is the ANA and the ANP and, I might add, a more effective border control police.

The plan gives commanders the flexibility to pause the redeployment of combat brigades temporarily for the period immediately before and after the Iraqi national elections to assist the Iraqis in consolidating hard fought security gains…

I'm concerned about the level of, frankly, subversive activity that the Iranians are carrying on in a number of places in Latin America.

Although Pakistan continues to assist in the fight against extremists, its participation does not come without a domestic price.

I would be willing to consider any changes to the manual that are consistent with U.S. domestic law and U.S. obligations under international law, including Common Article 3, and are compatible with military practices and procedures.

If the review of individual detainees and the Special Task Force conclude that some detainees should be tried by military commissions because they cannot be tried by an Article III Federal criminal court or a court-martial, I will support…

I reaffirm my belief that CNGB should not be a member of the JCS.

We must not be so preoccupied with preparing for future conventional strategic conflicts that we neglect to provide all the capabilities necessary to fight and win conflicts, such as those the United States is in today.

The President's plan represents a responsible and reasonable drawdown of our combat units in Iraq and does not sacrifice the hard-fought gains that our forces and the Iraqis have made over the last several years.

My worry is that the Afghans come to see us as part of their problem rather than part of their solution, and then we are lost.

The ISF continue to improve their capabilities, and as we transition responsibility to them over the next 18 months, we believe that they will be ready in most respects.