Robert Gates

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Robert Michael Gates
Robert Gates
Incumbent
Assumed office 
December 18, 2006
President George W. Bush
Deputy Gordon R. England
Preceded by Donald Rumsfeld
In office
November 6, 1991 – January 20, 1993
President George H. W. Bush
Preceded by William Hedgcock Webster
Succeeded by R. James Woolsey, Jr.
Born September 25, 1943 (1943-09-25) (age 64)
Wichita, Kansas
Alma mater College of William & Mary, Indiana University, Georgetown University
Signature Robert Gates's signature

Robert Michael Gates (born September 25, 1943) is currently serving as the 22nd United States Secretary of Defense. He took office on December 18, 2006.[1] Prior to this, Gates served for 26 years in the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council, and under President George H. W. Bush as Director of Central Intelligence. After leaving the CIA, Gates became president of Texas A&M University and was a member of several corporate boards. Gates also served as a member of the Iraq Study Group, the bipartisan commission co-chaired by James A. Baker III and Lee Hamilton, that has studied the Iraq War. He was also the first pick to serve as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security when it was created following the September 11, 2001 attacks, but he declined the appointment in order to remain President of Texas A&M University.[2]

Gates accepted the nomination as Secretary of Defense position on November 8, 2006, replacing Donald Rumsfeld. He was confirmed with bipartisan support.[3] In a 2007 profile written by former National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, Time named Gates one of the year's most influential people.[3]

Contents

[edit] Early life and education

A native of Wichita, Kansas, Gates attained the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the BSA.[4][5] He graduated from Wichita East High School in 1961, reportedly with straight A's.[6] Gates then won a scholarship to attend the College of William and Mary where he graduated in 1965 with a B.A. in European history. At William & Mary, Gates was an active member and president of the Alpha Phi Omega (the national service fraternity) Chapter and the Young Republicans; he was also the business manager for the William and Mary Review, a literary and art magazine.[7] At his William & Mary graduation ceremony, Gates received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award naming him the graduate that "has made the greatest contribution to his fellow man." [8] Gates then went on to receive a master's degree in history from Indiana University in 1966, and a Ph.D. in Russian and Soviet history from Georgetown University in 1974. He received an L.H.D. (Doctor of Humane Letters) from William & Mary in 1998.

[edit] Intelligence career

[edit] Positions

While at Indiana University, Gates was recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency and joined the agency in 1966.[9] However, the CIA offered no exemption from the draft during the Vietnam War. In 1967 he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force[9] and from 1967 to 1969 he served as an intelligence officer in the Strategic Air Command, including a posting at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, where he delivered intelligence briefings to Intercontinental Ballistic Missile crews.[10] After fulfilling his military obligation, he rejoined the CIA.

Gates left the CIA in 1974 to serve on staff of the National Security Council. He returned to the CIA in late 1979, serving briefly as the director of the Strategic Evaluation Center, Office of Strategic Research. He was named the Director of the DCI/DDCI Executive Staff in 1981, Deputy Director for Intelligence in 1982, and Deputy Director of Central Intelligence from April 18, 1986 to March 20, 1989.

[edit] Director of Central Intelligence

Gates as Director of Central Intelligence.
Gates as Director of Central Intelligence.

Gates was nominated to become the Director of Central Intelligence (head of the CIA) in early 1987. He withdrew his name after it became clear the Senate would reject the nomination due to controversy about his role in the Iran-Contra affair.

Gates was Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs from March until August of 1989, and was Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Adviser from August 1989 until November 1991.

Gates was nominated (for the second time) for the position of Director of Central Intelligence by President George H. W. Bush on May 14, 1991, confirmed by the Senate on November 5, and sworn in on November 6, becoming the only career officer in the CIA's history (as of 2005) to rise from entry-level employee to Director.

Deputy Directors during his tenure were Richard J. Kerr (from November 6, 1991 until March 2, 1992) and Adm. William O. Studeman (from April 9, 1992 through the remainder of Dr. Gates' tenure). He served until 1993.

The final report of the Independent Counsel for Iran/Contra Matters, issued on August 4, 1993, said that Gates "was close to many figures who played significant roles in the Iran/contra affair and was in a position to have known of their activities. The evidence developed by Independent Counsel did not warrant indictment..." [11]

[edit] Level of involvement in the Iran-Contra scandal

Because of his senior status in the CIA, Gates was close to many figures who played significant roles in the Iran-Contra Affair and was in a position to have known of their activities. In 1984, as deputy director of CIA, Gates advocated that the U.S. initiate a bombing campaign against Nicaragua and that the U.S. do everything in its power short of direct military invasion of the country to remove the Sandinista government [12]. The evidence developed by Independent Counsel did not warrant indictment of Gates for his Iran-Contra activities or his responses to official inquiries.

Gates was an early subject of Independent Counsel's investigation, but the investigation of Gates intensified in the spring of 1991 as part of a larger inquiry into the Iran/contra activities of CIA officials. This investigation received an additional impetus in May 1991, when President George H.W. Bush nominated Gates to be Director of Central Intelligence (DCI). The chairman and vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) requested, in a letter to the Independent Counsel on May 15, 1991, any information that would “significantly bear on the fitness” of Gates for the CIA post.

Gates consistently testified that he first heard on October 1, 1986, from Charles E. Allen, the national intelligence officer who was closest to the Iran initiative, that proceeds from the Iran arms sales may have been diverted to support the Contras. Other evidence proves, however, that Gates received a report on the diversion during the summer of 1986 from DDI Richard Kerr.[13] The issue was whether the Independent Counsel could prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Gates was deliberately not telling the truth when he later claimed not to have remembered any reference to the diversion before meeting with Allen in October.

Grand Jury secrecy rules hampered Independent Counsel's response. Nevertheless, in order to answer questions about Gates' prior testimony, Independent Counsel accelerated his investigation of Gates in the summer of 1991. This investigation was substantially completed by September 3, 1991, at which time Independent Counsel determined that Gates' Iran-Contra activities and testimony did not warrant prosecution.

Independent Counsel made this decision subject to developments that could have warranted reopening his inquiry, including testimony by Clair E. George, the CIA's former deputy director for operations. At the time Independent Counsel reached this decision, the possibility remained that George could have provided information warranting reconsideration of Gates's status in the investigation. George refused to cooperate with Independent Counsel and was indicted on September 19, 1991. George subpoenaed Gates to testify as a defense witness at George's first trial in the summer of 1994, but Gates was never called.

[edit] Career after leaving the CIA

[edit] 1993-1999

After retiring from the CIA in 1993, Gates worked as an academic and lecturer. He evaluated student thesis for the International Studies Program of the University of Washington.[citation needed] He lectured at Harvard, Yale, Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt, Georgetown, Indiana, Louisiana State, Oklahoma, and the College of William and Mary.[citation needed] Gates served as a member of the Board of Visitors of the University of Oklahoma International Programs Center and a trustee of the endowment fund for the College of William and Mary, his alma mater, which in 1998 conferred upon him honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.

In 1996, Gates' autobiography, From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insider's Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War, was published. Gates has also written numerous articles on government and foreign policy and has been a frequent contributor to the op-ed page of The New York Times.[14]

Gates at Texas A&M
Gates at Texas A&M

[edit] Texas A&M

Gates was the interim Dean of the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University from 1999 to 2001. On August 1, 2002, he became the 22nd President of Texas A&M. As the university president, Gates made significant progress in four key areas of the university's "Vision 2020" plan, a plan to become one of the top 10 public universities by the year 2020. The four key areas include improving student diversity, increasing the size of the faculty, building new academic facilities, and enriching the undergraduate and graduate education experience.[15] During his tenure, Gates encouraged the addition of 440 new faculty positions and a $300 million campus construction program, and saw dramatic increases in minority enrollment. On February 2, 2007, Gates was conferred the title of President Emeritus by unanimous vote of the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents. Gates and his wife Becky received honorary doctoral degrees from Texas A&M on August 10, 2007.[16]

[edit] Corporate boards

Gates has been a member of the board of trustees of Fidelity Investments, and on the board of directors of NACCO Industries, Inc., Brinker International, Inc., Parker Drilling Company, Science Applications International Corporation, and VoteHere, a technology company which sought to provide cryptography and computer software security for the electronic election industry.[17] A White House spokeswoman has said Gates plans to sell all the stock he owns in individual companies and sever all ties with them if confirmed by the Senate.[18]

[edit] Public service

Gates is a former president of the National Eagle Scout Association.[19]

In January 2004, Gates co-chaired a Council on Foreign Relations task force on U.S. relations towards Iran. Among the task force's primary recommendation was to directly engage Iran on a diplomatic level regarding Iranian nuclear technology. Key points included a negotiated position that would allow Iran to develop its nuclear program in exchange for a commitment from Iran to use the program only for peaceful means. [20]

At the time of his nomination by President George W. Bush to the position of Secretary of Defense, Gates was also a member of the Iraq Study Group, also called the Baker Commission, which was expected to issue its report in November 2006, following the mid-term election on November 7. He was replaced by former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger.

[edit] Declined appointment as Director of National Intelligence

In February 2005, Gates wrote in a message posted on his school's website that "there seems to be a growing number of rumors in the media and around campus that I am leaving Texas A&M to become the new director of national intelligence ('Intelligence Czar') in Washington, D.C." The message said that "To put the rumors to rest, I was indeed asked to take the position, wrestled with perhaps the most difficult — and close — decision of my life, and last week declined the position."

Gates committed to remain as President of Texas A&M University through the summer of 2005; President George W. Bush offered the position of United States Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to John Negroponte, who accepted.[21]

Gates said in a 2005 discussion with the university's Academy for Future International Leaders that he had tentatively decided to accept the DNI position out of a sense of duty and had written an email that would be sent to students during the press conference to announce his decision, explaining that he was leaving to serve the U.S. once again. Gates, however, took the weekend to consider what his final decision should be, and ultimately decided that he was unwilling to return to Washington, D.C. in any capacity simply because he "had nothing to look forward to in D.C. and plenty to look forward to at A&M."

[edit] Secretary of Defense

Gates responds to a question during the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on December 5, 2006
Gates responds to a question during the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on December 5, 2006
Secretary-designate Gates with Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV)
Secretary-designate Gates with Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV)

On November 8, 2006, after the 2006 midterm election, President George W. Bush announced his intent to nominate Gates to succeed the resigning Donald Rumsfeld as U.S. Secretary of Defense.[22][23]

Gates was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate Armed Services Committee on December 5, 2006. During his confirmation hearing on December 5, 2006, Senator Carl Levin of Michigan asked Gates if he thought the United States was winning the war in Iraq, to which Gates responded: "No, sir." He then went on to say that he did not think the United States was losing the war either.[24] The next day, Gates was confirmed by the full Senate by a margin of 95-2, with Republican Senators Rick Santorum and Jim Bunning casting the two dissenting votes and senators Elizabeth Dole, Evan Bayh, and Joe Biden not voting.[25] On December 18, 2006, Gates was sworn in as Secretary of Defense by White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten at a private White House ceremony and then by Vice President Dick Cheney at the Pentagon. [1]

Gates being sworn in as Defense Secretary on December 18, 2006.
Gates being sworn in as Defense Secretary on December 18, 2006.

Several months after his appointment, The Washington Post published a series of articles beginning February 18, 2007 that brought to the spotlight the Walter Reed Army Medical Center neglect scandal.[26] As a result of the fallout from the incident, Gates announced the removal of Secretary of the Army Francis J. Harvey, and later approved the removal of Army Surgeon General Kevin C. Kiley.[27]

On June 8, 2007, Gates announced that he would not recommend the renomination of Peter Pace, the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, due to anticipated difficulties with the confirmation process. Instead, Gates recommended Mike Mullen, the Chief of Naval Operations at the time, to fill the position. [28] On June 5, 2008, in response to the findings on Air Force misshipments of nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons components, Gates announced the resignations of Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne and Air Force Chief of Staff Michael Moseley.[29]

[edit] Turkish offensive in northern Iraq

Gates told his Turkish counterpart on February 28, 2008 that Turkey should end its offensive against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq as soon as possible but said the U.S. is making no threats against its NATO ally if it fails to comply.[30]

[edit] Iran

Gates has dismissed as "ridiculous" any suggestion, on March 12, 2008, that the resignation Admiral William J. Fallon, America's military chief in the Middle East, on March 11, 2008, signals the United States is planning to go to war with Iran.[30]

[edit] Criticism

As deputy director and director of America's leading intelligence agency for many years, Gates and his CIA staff have been faulted for failing to accurately gauge the decline and disintegration of the Soviet Union. More particularly, Gates has been criticized for concocting evidence to show that the Soviet Union was stronger than it actually was, and also for repeatedly skewing intelligence to promote a particular worldview.[31] Also, according to Newsweek, Gates, as deputy director of CIA, allegedly vouched for the comprehensiveness of a CIA study presented to the Senate and President Reagan alleging that the Soviet Union played a role in the 1981 shooting of Pope John Paul II. A CIA internal review later denounced the report as being skewed[31], but that Gates did not try to influence the report's conclusions.[32]

[edit] NATO Comments

On January 16, 2008, Gates was quoted in the Los Angeles Times as saying NATO forces in southern Afghanistan do not know how to properly combat a guerilla insurgency and that could be contributing to rising violence in the country [1]. The Netherlands [2] and United Kingdom [3] protested.

[edit] Awards and decorations

Gates' awards and decorations include:

Government awards
Other awards

[edit] Gallery

Robert M. Gates meets with Yasuo Fukuda.

Gates and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Coalition Affairs Debra Cagan meet Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "New US defence secretary sworn in", BBC News, December 18, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-12-18. 
  2. ^ "Gates' Government Intelligence Experience Runs Deep", National Public Radio, November 9, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-09. 
  3. ^ a b Robert Gates By Zbigniew Brzezinski. Time. Accessed May 31, 2008.
  4. ^ Distinguished Eagle Scouts. Troop & Pack 179. Retrieved on 2006-03-02.
  5. ^ Townley, Alvin [2006-12-26]. Legacy of Honor: The Values and Influence of America's Eagle Scouts. New York: St. Martin's Press, pp. 217-218. ISBN 0-312-36653-1. Retrieved on 2006-12-29. 
  6. ^ Shane, Scott (November 19, 2006). Pentagon Pick Returns to City He Gladly Left. New York Times. Retrieved on 2006-09-25.
  7. ^ Whitson, Brian (8 December 2006), “Senate confirms Gates (’65) as U.S. Secretary of Defense”, W&M News (College of William & Mary Office of University Relations): Front, <http://www.wm.edu/news/index.php?id=6992>. Retrieved on 9 November 2006 
  8. ^ Whitson, Brian (8 December 2006), “Senate confirms Gates (’65) as U.S. Secretary of Defense”, W&M News (College of William & Mary Office of University Relations): Front, <http://www.wm.edu/news/index.php?id=6992>. Retrieved on 9 November 2006 
  9. ^ a b DefenseLink Biography: Dr. Robert M. Gates. US Dept. of Defense (July 2007). Retrieved on 2008-04-21.
  10. ^ Thomas Powers, "Who Won the Cold War?", New York Review of Books, Vol. 43, no. 11, June 20, 1996.
  11. ^ Lawrence E. Walsh, Final report of the independent counsel for Iran/Contra matters, August 4, 1993, and in particular Chapter 16, "Robert M. Gates"
  12. ^ Los Angeles Times, Nov. 25, 2006, free archived version at http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1125-04.htm last visited Nov. 26, 2006.
  13. ^ GlobalSecurity.org. Iran-Contra Report, Chapter 16.
  14. ^ Texas A&M press release, July 1999.
  15. ^ "Texas A&M Academic Convocation 2005". President Robert M. Gates.
  16. ^ Aggies Wrap First Week of Fall Camp with Pair of Workouts. Texas A&M University Athletic Department (2007-08-11). Retrieved on 2007-08-15.
  17. ^ Lewellen-Biddle, Mark (December 11, 2003). Voting Machines Gone Wild!. In These Times. Retrieved on 2007-09-25.
  18. ^ Theimer, Sharon (December 6, 2006; 3:54 AM). Gates' Assets Include Defense Stock. Retrieved on 2007-09-25.
  19. ^ NESA Organization Site
  20. ^ Iran: Time for a New Approach, final report of an independent task force, July 2004, Council of Foreign Relations Press
  21. ^ "Bush names Negroponte intelligence chief", CNN.com, February 18, 2005. Retrieved on 2006-11-08. 
  22. ^ "Bush replaces Rumsfeld to get 'fresh perspective'", CNN.com, November 8, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-08. 
  23. ^ Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Jim Rutenberg. "Rumsfeld Resigns as Defense Secretary After Big Election Gains for Democrats", New York Times, November 8, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-08. 
  24. ^ Jim Garamone. "Senate Confirms Gates as 22nd Defense Secretary", American Forces Press Service, December 6, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-12-06. 
  25. ^ "Robert Gates confirmed as secretary of defense", Associated Press, December 6, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-12-06. 
  26. ^ "The Other Walter Reed".
  27. ^ Army surgeon general ousted amid Walter Reed scandal - CNN.com
  28. ^ http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=nation_world&id=5378699
  29. ^ "DoD News Briefing with Secretary Gates from the Pentagon", U.S. Department of Defense, 2008-06-05. Retrieved on 2008-06-05. 
  30. ^ a b "Gates pressures Turkey on Iraq", CNN, February 28, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-02-28. 
  31. ^ a b "Old Names, Old Scandals", Newsweek, 2006-11-08. 
  32. ^ "In Rebuttal to Senate Panel, C.I.A. Nominee Seems Truthful but Incomplete", The New York Times. 

[edit] Sources

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

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Preceded by
William Hedgcock Webster		 Director of Central Intelligence
November 6, 1991–January 20, 1993		 Succeeded by
R. James Woolsey, Jr.
Preceded by
Ray Bowen		 President of Texas A&M University
2002–2006		 Succeeded by
Dr. Ed Davis (interim)
Preceded by
Donald Rumsfeld		 United States Secretary of Defense
Served Under: George W. Bush
December 18, 2006 – present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
Henry Paulson
Secretary of Treasury		 United States Presidential Line of Succession
6th in line		 Succeeded by
Michael Mukasey
Attorney General
Preceded by
Henry Paulson
Secretary of Treasury		 United States order of precedence
as of 2007		 Succeeded by
Michael Mukasey
Attorney General
v • d • e
Directors of Central Intelligence & Directors of the Central Intelligence Agency
DCI Seal of the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States
D/CIA
v • d • e
United States Secretaries of Defense
Forrestal • Johnson • Marshall • Lovett • Wilson • McElroy • T. Gates • McNamara • Clifford • Laird • Richardson • Schlesinger • Rumsfeld • Brown • Weinberger • Carlucci • Cheney • Aspin • Perry • Cohen • Rumsfeld • R. Gates
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Current members of the United States Cabinet

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(c) cabinet-level only, (a) acting
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Members of the Iraq Study Group
Chairs
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Members
Former members
Robert Gates • Rudy Giuliani


Persondata
NAME Gates, Robert Michael
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION CIA director, U.S. Secretary of Defense, and university president
DATE OF BIRTH September 25, 1943
PLACE OF BIRTH Wichita, Kansas, United States
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH