Budget

Experts examine the legacy of Secretary Gates

Learn more in today\'s DoD Report.

Federal News Network Staff

August 18, 2010 4:43 pm

1 min read

DoD Report – Tune in weekdays at 40 minutes past the hour for the latest news on the Defense Department. The DoD Report can be heard on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Amy Morris (6-10 a.m.) and the DorobekINSIDER with Chris Dorobek (3-7 p.m.). Listen live at FederalNewsRadio.com or on the radio at 1500 and 820 AM in the Washington, D.C. metro area. The DoD Report is brought to you by Dell.

What kind of legacy will Defense Secretary Robert Gates leave behind? Foreign Policy asked five experts for their answer to that. In an exclusive interview, the Secretary told the magazine he hopes to leave office next year, possibly as early as January. Among the five experts, James Jay Carafano with the Heritage Foundation says Gates never lost sight of the imperative that nations should use force only when it is in their vital national interests — and that a nation’s leaders should not disregard national interests just because the road to victory becomes more difficult than expected. He adds, Gates’s most recent pronouncements that the Pentagon needs to reform its antiquated logistics practices and restructure pay and benefits are on target.
And, as the Defense Department explores ways to cut spending from the Pentagon budget, the Missile Defense Agency will focus more heavily on competition for multibillion-dollar contracts. Learn more at the Dorobek Must Reads page.

Check out all of Federal News Radio’s coverage of Defense issues here.