ROBERT GATES

Amidst all the issues regarding national security and international misunderstandings, the United States still has one of the strongest and most prominent defense programs in the world. Billions of dollars are invested every year to national defense because of the various threats that the US have faced throughout the last decade. Robert Michael Gates is the man currently heading one of the world’s most extensive defense programs.

CAREER

The 22nd United States Secretary of Defense, Gates was sworn to office on December 18, 2006. Before he took lead of the reins over the Defense Department, Gates was serving in the government for decades. He was part of the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council. He was the Director of Central Intelligence under former President George H.W. Bush’s administration. After his recruitment into the CIA, Gates was also assigned to serve in the US Air Force.

After serving in the government, Robert Gates took a break and accepted a job as the President of the Texas A&M University while also doing some corporate board jobs on the side. He later became part of the Iraq Study Group founded by James A. Baker III and Lee Hamilton, which focused its efforts on studying the Iraq War. Gates was also the top choice for the Secretary of Homeland Security post when it was created immediately following the September 11 terrorist attacks. However, he politely declined and continued to serve as University President at Texas A&M.

In November of 2006, Robert Gates formally accepted President George W. Bush’s nomination to be the next Secretary of Defense, replacing Donald Rumsfeld. Confirmed with bipartisan support, Gates took office in December of 2006. On December of 2008, President-elect Barack Obama confirmed the continuation of Gates’ tenure as Secretary of Defense for at least the first year of his presidency.

Gates was named by Time as one of the most influential people for the year in 2007 and one of the Best Leaders in the US by the US News & World Report in 2008.

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