This guy is just as much of a neo-con as the rest of them.
Was America ever snookered by this guy!
"Gates Halts Cut in Army Force in Europe" by THOM SHANKER
WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 — Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has decided to freeze plans for further reducing Army forces in Europe and will maintain about 40,000 soldiers in Germany and Italy, nearly twice as many as had been envisioned under a drawdown that began two years ago, according to senior Pentagon and military officials.
In forming a new plan, Mr. Gates accepted proposals of the two senior Army officers in Europe, who advocated keeping the larger force on the Continent to sustain training and other exercises with foreign militaries and as a hedge against risks to American security.
Military officers cited the great uncertainty about how long large numbers of soldiers and marines would remain in Iraq, and argued for continuing military commitments in Europe to reassure allies and deter adversaries.
Senior Pentagon officials familiar with Mr. Gates’s thinking said he was swayed by practical budgetary concerns as much as by the strategic policy arguments put forward by Gen. John Craddock, the commander of American forces in Europe, and Gen. David D. McKiernan, who is in charge of Army forces there.
The Army told Mr. Gates that not all of the housing was ready for the returning soldiers, and that it could waste millions of dollars to prepare temporary residences, and to move the troops and their families twice, first to interim residences, then to permanent ones, the officials said.
Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary:
“The secretary is inclined to approve General Craddock’s request to delay the redeployment of the brigades, less from a philosophical standpoint than from a practical standpoint. It happens to satisfy the needs of General Craddock and of the Army.
[Delaying the return of American ground forces from Europe] also fits with what the secretary feels we should be doing in projecting strength around the world.
[Holding the American troop level steady in Europe would be] a reminder to the rest of the world that, though we have our hands full in Iraq and Afghanistan, we are still very much engaged globally, and our commitment to our allies is not at all diminished.”
Since taking office last December, Mr. Gates has also endorsed plans offered by the Joint Chiefs of Staff to expand the overall size of the Army and Marines, despite the stress of long and repeated deployments of American ground forces to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mr. Gates now plans to delay the return to the United States of two brigade combat teams and all of their support personnel, maintaining four Army brigades in Europe, Pentagon and military officials said. Two heavy brigade combat teams would remain in Germany, with a Stryker brigade.
Those members of Congress whose districts include the troops’ stateside bases would be told that the two heavy brigades in Germany remain on the list for eventual redeployment home; further, that the Army, in meeting a Congressionally approved increase in overall troop numbers, is signing up new soldiers who will also need new housing, and at some of the same bases.
General Craddock, who leads the American military’s European Command and is the supreme allied commander in Europe:
“I told the staff, I want you to study whether or not we have adequate capability to accomplish the tasks we’ve been assigned by the department. We did that. The result was it appears we do not. I then sent a recommendation to the secretary of defense.”
Army generals warned that if the number of troops was further cut as called for in the original plan, they would be unable to engage with allies, in particular to conduct training exercises with foreign military partners, and to prepare for contingencies.
General McKiernan: “What’s changed is we’re in a longer war. In this era of persistent conflict, we have some fault lines that are there in the European Command.”
He cited concerns over “a resurgent Russia."
No wonder Russia has such a bug up their ass:
"Russia to shelve treaty over NATO action" by Vladimir Isachenkov/Associated Press November 21, 2007
MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin accused NATO of "muscle-flexing" near Russia's frontiers yesterday and promised that Moscow would suspend its obligations under a key European arms treaty.
Putin's angry statement was made amid tensions between Russia and the West, and it reflected the increasingly assertive posture taken by the Kremlin ahead of Dec. 2 parliamentary elections.
Putin told a meeting of military officials: "In violation of previous agreements, military resources of NATO members are being built up next to our borders. Of course, we cannot allow ourselves to remain indifferent to this obvious muscle-flexing."
Putin also gave senior generals a dressing-down over the military's poor living conditions, remarks apparently aimed at winning the hearts of military voters.
Disputes between Russia and the West have multiplied in recent years, with military disagreements topping the list. US plans to establish missile defense sites in Eastern Europe have provoked a heated reaction from Moscow.
Putin said the suspension of Russia's obligations under the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty, or CFE, which limits the deployment of tanks, aircraft, and heavy conventional weapons across the continent, was part of Russia's response.
James Appathurai, NATO spokesman, dismissed Putin's talk of NATO's muscle-flexing:
"All NATO members continue to abide by the restrictions on the numbers and movements of equipment like tanks and aircraft, which the CFE treaty requires, even if it hasn't entered into force, so there is no need to talk about muscle-flexing."
Better saddle up for a DRAFT, kids!
Gates: Iran military option still open
"US Defense Secretary Robert Gates says a military strike on Iran will remain an option if Iran continues to follow its nuclear ambitions."
