Robert M. Gates

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Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speak to reporters on gays in the military on Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010, at the Pentagon. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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Thomas A. Ferguson is acting undersecretary of defense for intelligence (USDI) and a former Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) space analyst.

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Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Wednesday that repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy would have "enormous consequences for our troops." (Associated Press)

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ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsawan (left) and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates shake hands after the closing remarks of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus in Hanoi on Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Luong Thai Linh, Pool)

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Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is greeted by (from left) Senior Col. Nguyen Hong Quang, Maj. Gen. Nguyen Huu Manh and 2nd Lt. Nguyen Thang Anh as he deplanes from a U.S. military aircraft upon his arrival at the Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on Sunday. Mr. Gates is in Vietnam to reassure jittery Southeast Asian nations this week that the United States won't cede its longtime role as the pre-eminent military power in the Pacific as Chinese naval ambitions expand. (AP Photo)

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Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates (right) stands with Purple Heart recipient Spc. Shawn Mason of New Cumberland, Pa., as the secretary visits with troops from the 4th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, at Camp Ramadi in Iraq on Wednesday. Mr. Gates is in Iraq to meet with U.S. troops as they formally close down their combat mission. (Associated Press)

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Letitia A. Long shakes hands with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates after becoming the director of the National Geospatial-Inteligence Agency on Monday, Aug. 9, 2010, during a change-of-director ceremony at the agency in Springfield, Va. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

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SLASHING COSTS: Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is looking for ways to save money. (Associated Press)

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Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates will return to private life in April, according to speculation inside the Pentagon. (Associated Press)

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A U.N. Command soldier keeps a watchful eye on a North Korean soldier peering in through a window as U.S. Army Col. Kurt Taylor briefs Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates on Wednesday. (Associated Press)

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Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, front left, and Korean Minister of National Defense Kim Tae Young, front right, leave the Ministry of Defense building in Seoul South Korea, Tuesday July 20, 2010. (AP Photo/Cherie Cullen)

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A photo provided by the Defense Department shows Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, left, speaking to Army Gen. Walter L. "Skip" Sharp, commander of U.S. Combined Forces Command and commander of U.S. Forces Korea, on board a helicopter to Camp Casey in South Korea to speak with U.S. and Korean troops, Tuesday July 20, 2010. (AP Photo/Cherie Cullen)

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In a photo provided by the Defense Department, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, left, meets with Korean Minister of National Defense Kim Tae Young, right, in Seoul South Korea, Tuesday, July 20, 2010. (AP Photo/Cherie Cullen)

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Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is trying to limit reporters' access to Pentagon officials, both military and civilian. (Associated Press)

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In this photo provided by the Department of Defense, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, right, and former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld walk to Mr. Rumsfeld's portrait unveiling ceremony at the Pentagon, in Arlington, Va. Friday June 25, 2010. (AP Photo/DOD, Cherie Cullen)

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In this photo provided by the Department of Defense, former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld smiles as Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, right, addresses the audience during Mr. Rumsfeld's portrait unveiling ceremony at the Pentagon, in Arlington, Va. Friday June 25, 2010. (AP Photo/DOD, Cherie Cullen)

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In this photo provided by the Department of Defense, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, right, addresses the audience while former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld looks on during Mr. Rumsfeld's portrait unveiling ceremony at the Pentagon, in Arlington, Va. Friday June 25, 2010. (AP Photo/DOD, Cherie Cullen)