Defense secretary robert gates announced recently that he will stay on at least another year. Bush and barack obama during the wars in iraq and afghanistan. If youre referring to the us department of defense headquarters, they wanted a massive building, but not a tall one, since steel was critically needed for the war effort. Admiral fallon has served his nation well throughout a distinguished military career for over 40 years, first in the navy and. The pentagon has to do more than modernize its conventional forces. Secretary of defense robert gates and the jcs chairman, adm. In his book, duty, gates describes his war on the pentagon to deliver the. Two top obama advisors are about to spill insider details. The creation of the pentagon in seventeen whirlwind months during world war ii is one of the great construction feats in american history. The administration is on guard after robert gates polarizing memoir. Defense secretary robert gates took his campaign to change the pentagon s weaponsbuying habits directly to the uniformed military wednesday, telling an audience of. Ive written in my book that that was the greatest degree of centralized control since nixon and kissinger ruled the roost. As bob woodward told it in his 2008 book the war within, gates and the. Gates plans the postgates pentagon the new york times.
Former defense chief robert gates on wars and washington. His selfportrayal is of a man who goes home most nights to write letters of condolence to the families. The senator protests to defense secretary robert gates, who issues a statement saying he will study the matter carefully. Gates believed that he had left washington politics behind for goodbut when he received the call from the white house in 2006 to help a nation mired in two wars, he answered what he felt was the call of duty.
Gates even had a countdown clock that ticked down the days until. David rodriguez, being greeted by soldiers from task force. Gates gives us a forthright, impassioned, sometimes conflicted account of his four and a half years as defense secretary in his fascinating new memoir duty, a book. Robert gates signs copies of his book at the pentagon. Bob gates transforms the pentagon business insider. The line of hundreds of troops and civilians to have robert gates sign a copy of his new book, duty, snaked through stanchions at the pentagon and wound itself outside on to the sunsoaked courtyard on thursday. A group of 2,500 women, organized by women strike for peace, demonstrated outside of secretary of defense robert s.
Knopf while his rivals at the white house, the state department and the pentagon loudly staked out their positions, gates held back. But how did the department of defenses dod giant headquarters get its shape. Gatess subsequent efforts to downplay this side of duty do not do justice to this book. The pentagon pentagon by starwind the center from which we work sacred geometry part 3 according to geometry, the pentagon is the last of the solid forms for one simple reason, it is the last form you can make out of the other shapes that fits together perfectly.
Secretary of defense robert gates and the jcs chairman. It is defined by five points, which are all on a plane. Now, former defense secretary robert gates has taken the genre a substantial step forward by releasing a highly critical memoir while an administration he served still has three years left. The reason for the pentagons shape is no myth, but other conspiracy theories and. As andrew cockburn notes in his invaluable new book. A new poll by military times and syracuse universitys institute for veterans and military families reveals a complex relationship between the troops and their commander in chief. Top 10 revelations from robert gatess memoir washington wire. In his two years as defense secretary, robert gates has earned high marks for candor and common sense. In july 1941 with world war ii looming, a small group of army officers met to consider a secret plan to provide a permanent home for war department headquarters containing 4 million square feet of office space and housing 40,000 people. Mar 26, 2015 when it comes to the pentagons new spending budget, the answer is not more money. He recently told cbs that mass gatherings will be considered optional.
What can robert gates achieve in extra year at pentagon. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. Pcol writes the washington post is running a story on the design process for the pentagon building and why it ended up with its unusual shape. Defense secretary robert gates took his campaign to change the pentagons weaponsbuying habits directly to the uniformed military wednesday, telling an audience of. Reading the pentagon papers is like watching a movie and the ending is already known. Bob gates a very popular draw at pentagon book signing. As one of the worlds largest office buildings, it has a floor space of 3,705,793 square feet, or three times. June 30, 2011 robert gates and president obama salute during a farewell ceremony for gates as outgoing defense secretary. More briefings, fewer win and lose phrases for afghanistan. In his book, duty, gates describes his war on the pentagon to deliver the uparmored, mineresistant, ambush protected mrap vehicles to troops overseas, jumping through bureaucratic hoops to provide critical support for troops in iraq and afghanistan. My mother worked in the pentagon during part of the wwii her department was later moved to philadelphia. Gates served in that position under obama and president george w. Memoirs of a secretary at war, landed on media desks in the first days of january a week before it went on sale it was an immediate sensation. So recognized and established within american military culture that the word pentagon itself has become a metonym for the department of defense.
Gates is quoted telling a group of soldiers wives at fort hood last november that he would seek to shorten. The pentagon became a focal point for protests against the vietnam war during the late 1960s. Bush presidency, robert gates offers unique perspectives on the soviet unions demise, the gulf war, removing noriega from power in panama, the impact of the cold wars end on eastern europe and latin america, and the political crisis in the philippines. Gates was here to discuss and sign copies of his new memoir, duty. Steve vogels history of the pentagon reads easy and is completely fascinating. Gates says he wants to leave pentagon in 2011 robert gates says he wants to retire next year, but will the call of duty cause him to stay longer. By announcing today that military combat tours would be shortened from 15 to 12 months, president bush was implementing a major recommendation that his pentagon chief made months earlier in a profile earlier this year in the new york times magazine, defense secretary robert m. I cannot however, figure out why anyone of either political party. So gates ordered a task force to figure out how to deliver 1,000 mraps a month by 2008.
The circumstances under which i would do that are inconceivable to me, gates replied in an april 2008 pentagon news briefing. Robert gates good, long seethe of a memoir former defense secretary robert gates signs copies of his new book during a book signing at the pentagon in washington, thursday. Jan 11, 2010 what can robert gates achieve in extra year at pentagon. A history, author steve vogel overviews a history of the building itself.
Its gimleteyed portrait of prominent figures in washingtons power elite at the white house, congress, and the pentagonincluding many still at the helmmade it a. The pentagon serves as the headquarters of the united states department of defense. Gates is hardly the first official to engage in such a doublecross, but its a surprise because hes always conducted himself with class. Mar 15, 2014 gates, and the pentagon s response, was to decry its being leaked and then to ignore it by excluding the ambassador from all deliberations and never answering the challenges that he had laid out. They couldnt build it in dc since there wasnt enough space, so they fou. I normally dont read books like this, but i picked it up admittedly after vogel made an appearance on the daily show.
With three different positions in intelligence and national security during the george h. Apr 30, 2011 the circumstances under which i would do that are inconceivable to me, gates replied in an april 2008 pentagon news briefing. What kind of shape was the pentagon in when you became secretary. A history reads like a novel, the characters are the architects, the politicians, and the workers. Republican robert m gatess account of his years in the bush and obama. January 14, 2014, a strikingly candid, vividly written account of his experience serving presidents george w. Jan 08, 2017 a new poll by military times and syracuse universitys institute for veterans and military families reveals a complex relationship between the troops and their commander in chief. The idea that obama is somehow a liberal in anyway shape or form is a. Robert gates retires from pentagon, warns america by john barry on 61911 at 10.
Secretary of defense robert gates then noted that, when it comes to their war, there is no big memorial on the national mall. The regular pentagon is an example of a cyclic pentagon. The book has the actual memos and papers written by those us government officials involved in directing the war. Mcnamaras office at the pentagon on february 15, 1967.
Dod news briefing with secretary robert gates from the pentagon. Line out the door at pentagon for robert gates book that. The pentagon is certainly one of the most iconic buildings located in the washington, d. Thats what defense secretary robert gates angrily told his staff on march 16, 2009 when. Defense secretary robert gates and admiral michael mullen, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, arent wasting any time at the pentagon briefing this afternoon immediately beginning with a discussion of the stillsecret report by general stanley mcchrystal, the military commander for afghanistan. Former us defence secretary robert gates has joked about the downsides of his old job, including enduring interminable nato meetings and price gouging. The secret history of the vietnam war neil sheehan, herick smith, e. One quote shows the radical transformation of the pentagon under robert gates. An icon in the shape of a persons head and shoulders.
Gates has much to teach about the practical idealism. Due to its large file size, this book may take longer to download. All the threads were in their hands, but it wasnt in. But curbing the pentagon s appetite for expensive new weapons could be his biggest challenge yet. But curbing the pentagons appetite for expensive new weapons could be his biggest challenge yet. But, in terms of the level of detail, it is significantly greater today than it was even under them. Guided by the domino theory if vietnam fell to communist so would the rest of asia, the us government acted as if vietnam was the last redoubt. In contrast, the regular pentagon is unique up to similarity, because it is equilateral and, moreover, it is equiangular its five angles are equal. A cyclic pentagon is one for which a circle called the circumcircle goes through all five vertices. The pentagon is the headquarters building of the united states department of defense. In recognition of hispanic heritage month, the army welcomed col. By clicking sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from business. High profile outlets help with the discoverability of our titles. Trump, furious and frustrated, gears up to punch back at.
Oct 27, 2016 if youre referring to the us department of defense headquarters, they wanted a massive building, but not a tall one, since steel was critically needed for the war effort. Jul 31, 2008 in a profile earlier this year in the new york times magazine, defense secretary robert m. Memoirs of a secretary at war by robert michael gates. His book, honor and fidelity, the 65th infantry in korea, 19501953, was about the countrys first allhispanic regulararmy regiment. Pentagons can be regular or irregular and convex or concave. Book signings at the pentagon are approved by the washington headquarters service, which is the administrative office for defense department facilities in the washington, d. Its a 5 sided figure, which, if you study the meaning of numbers. For the first time, everyone involved in the process had to sign a. Its results will inform and largely shape a departmentwide followon examination of any. Lecture and book signing with former secretary of defense robert gates. With well over ten years of marketing and branding our content, pentagon publishing has built a trusted name in this domain. Brian finke from his earliest days as secretary of defense, robert gates kept a little countdown clock in his briefcase. After serving six presidents in both the cia and the national security council, robert m. Aug 16, 2010 gates says he wants to leave pentagon in 2011 robert gates says he wants to retire next year, but will the call of duty cause him to stay longer.
So much so that it would shape some of my most significant decisions and. Gates is quoted telling a group of soldiers wives at fort hood last november that he would seek to shorten the tours by the end of 2008, when president bushs tenure in office and presumably his own would be drawing to a close. One advantage of the design of the pentagon is that a fivesided structure is inherently more stable than a 4sided one. If there are any curves or lines that do not connect in the shape, it is not a pentagon. The book has been justifiably praised by some for its depth and quality and vilified by. Book signing at the pentagon promotes hispanic heritage month.
Jul 20, 2007 the senator protests to defense secretary robert gates. Leipold army news service in recognition of hispanic heritage month, the army welcomed col. Ultimate insider changed the pentagon like no other. When it comes to the pentagons new spending budget, the answer is not more money. Blunt warning from gates reveals nato strains the new. Among us public servants of his generation, robert gates is. He was known as a savvy manager of the bureaucracy and a ruthlessly efficient defense secretary. Book signing at the pentagon promotes hispanic heritage. Gates, front, stands with president barack obama as they listen to the u. Dod news briefing with secretary robert gates from the. Brendan smialowskiafpgetty images washington bob gates book may have caused waves througho. Former defense secretary robert gates is releasing his memoir.
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