U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says international sanctions against Iran because of its nuclear program are causing division among the country’s leaders. They are the best way to convince them to abandon the program, VOA reported Gates as saying.
Posts Tagged ‘Robert Gates’
The defence industry : War on new fronts
November 4th, 2010 |
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Different tactics are needed to profit from a slowdown in defence spending
AS DEFENCE budgets come under fire, defence companies are deploying new tactics to protect their profits. Britain is cutting military spending by 8% over four years and Germany has similar ideas. And after growing by more than 10% in recent years, America’s annual budget of some $700 billion—nearly half the world’s total—is unlikely to rise after 2011. It might even fall. Robert Gates, America’s defence secretary, said in May that “the gusher has been turned off,” and recently announced that $100 billion would be cut over five years from “overheads” at his department.
Defence companies have to cope not only with reduced budgets but with a shift in policy and technology, which will also mean fewer orders for expensive pieces of kit. Last year Mr Gates cut some badly performing big projects. And America may yet change from “cost plus” contracts, in which the government shares the risk of financing big projects, to more fixed-price awards, like the deal for a new airborne refuelling tanker, shortly to be awarded to either Boeing or Europe’s EADS. …
“More casualties in Afghanistan to be expected”
September 3rd, 2010 |
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U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday that nearly all of the American surge forces have arrived in Afghanistan, VOA reports. They will press the new strategy President Barack Obama announced in December.
Pentagon, FBI to investigate leaked documents
July 30th, 2010 |
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U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says he has asked the FBI to assist in the probe into the leak and publication of classified military documents. Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen spoke about the issue at a press conference at the Pentagon on Thursday, several days after the Internet website WikiLeaks posted tens of thousands of documents about the war in Afghanistan.
U.S. blames EU for Turkey drift
June 10th, 2010 |
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Turkey’s growing hostility to Israel may have been partly caused by its effective rejection by the EU, the U.S. defense secretary said, the BBC reports. Robert Gates said Turkey may have been “pushed by some in Europe” away from the EU and into closer partnerships with states like Iran.
U.S. urges China to resume military contacts
June 5th, 2010 |
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The United States has appealed to China to restore military ties, despite friction about U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. Speaking to reporters at a security conference in Singapore Saturday, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said China’s decision to break off military-to-military contacts earlier this year could undercut regional stability.
N-retaliation if US hit by WMD: Hillary
April 11th, 2010 |
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WASHINGTON (Agencies) – The Obama Administration’s nuclear posture review may have removed some of the intentional ambiguity from US nuclear policy, but it does not leave the country any less safe, US President Obama’s top national security advisers said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.
In fact, they said, it gives a clear warning to other state actors that the US will not ignore any growing threats.
“This is putting everybody on notice,” US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer in an interview aired on Sunday. “We don’t want more countries to go down the path that North Korea and Iran are.”
The revised nuclear policy says that the US will not use nuclear weapons to respond to a chemical or biological attack from a non-nuclear country.
The policy, however, leaves significant contingencies, said Secretary of Defence Robert Gates who also appeared on “Face the Nation”.
Countries which are non-signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (such as North Korea) or have been found to be non-compliant (such as Iran) are not exempt from nuclear retaliation under the Obama policy.
“We were concerned about the biological weapons,” Gates said, “and thatÂ’s why the President was very clear … if we see states developing biological weapons that we begin to think endanger us or create serious concerns, that he reserves the right to revise this policy.”
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US could not rule out using nuclear weapons if it came under biological attack, saying in that case “all bets are off.”
“If we can prove that a biological attack originated in a country that attacked us, then all bets are off,” she said.
Gates also pointed out that the policy dictates that any country that uses chemical or biological weapons against the US will “suffer a devastating conventional retaliation.”
In spite of recent strained relations between Kabul and Washington, Gates and Hillary defended Afghan President Hamid Karzai as a valuable and reliable partner, despite tensions over his outspoken comments.
Karzai had excellent relations with the head of US and Nato-led troops in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, Gates said.
“What I can tell you is that General McChrystal continues to meet with him regularly. They have a very positive relationship. He gets very good cooperation out of President Karzai,” said Gates told ABC’s “This Week.”
Both Gates and Hillary expressed support and understanding for Karzai in the latest attempt by Washington and Kabul to repair a rift triggered by the AfghanÂ’s presidentÂ’s controversial outbursts.
Karzai had accused foreign governments of orchestrating the fraud at last yearÂ’s elections that returned him to power, causing dismay in Washington.
Gates, offering an explanation for KarzaiÂ’s recent angry tone, said Washington had to be careful in its public remarks about the Afghan President, as sharp criticism of his performance could be received in Kabul as disrespect for Afghan sovereignty.
The US Defence Chief said “when there are attacks on him (Karzai), on his family, and what he perceives to be on Afghanistan itself, or insults to the sovereignty of Afghanistan, he’s going to react.”
“And he’s going to react strongly.”
Hillary said Karzai, like some other foreign leaders, suspects harsh words in American newspapers may reflect the US governmentÂ’s official stance.
She further said she had “a lot of sympathy for President Karzai and the extraordinary stress he lives under every single minute of every day.”
Gates said Karzai is playing a key role in military efforts to win control of Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban, by talking with tribal leaders and local officials to get their views and concerns.
Hillary said the US has reached out to Russia for cooperation in its missile defence programme.
“We would like to see a joint effort on missile defence because we don’t see the principle threat in nuclear terms coming from Russia, we see it coming from state actors like Iran or non- state actors like a terrorist organisation like Al-Qaeda getting a hold of nuclear materials,” she said.
The Pentagon chief said Iran is not on the threshold of producing a nuclear weapon and that its programme was progressing slower than Tehran expected.
“I’d just say, and it’s our judgment here, they are not nuclear capable,” Gates said in the interview. “Not yet.”
He said Iran was “continuing to make progress” in a nuclear programme that Washington suspects is a clandestine effort to develop an atomic arsenal.
“ItÂ’s going slower… than they anticipated. But they are moving in that direction,” he said.
The Pentagon chief also denied that the US administration was resigned to Iran becoming a nuclear-armed power.
“We have not… drawn that conclusion at all. And in fact, weÂ’re doing everything we can to try and keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons,” he said.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton argued that Washington’s “patience” had helped build international support for sanctions against Iran.
She told NBC that “what we have found over the last months, because of our strategic patience, and our willingness to keep on this issue, is that countries are finally saying, ‘You know, I kind of get it … theyÂ’re the ones who shut the door, and now we have to do something.’”
New start
March 27th, 2010 |
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Russia and America agree to sharp cuts in their deployed warheads and delivery systems
IT HAS been a good week for Barack Obama. After passing his long-awaited health-care bill, he has now struck an equally long-awaited deal with Russia to reduce the two countries’ nuclear stockpiles. On Friday March 26th he announced that Russia’s president, Dmitry Medvedev, had agreed to a follow-on treaty to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), which was signed in 1991 and expired last December. The new deal will cut both countries’ arsenals by about a third from the maximum that would have been allowed under a deal struck in 2002 between George Bush and Russia’s then-president, Vladimir Putin. The new deal will lower the countries’ arsenals to 1,550 deployed warheads each and 700 delivery systems (intercontinental land-based missiles, submarine-based missiles and strategic bombers).
It had been widely expected, but is welcome nonetheless. Russia has been keen to reduce the cost of maintaining its large stockpile of nuclear weapons and Mr Obama has talked about getting eventually to a world free of all nuclear weapons. The treaty must next be ratified in Russia’s Duma and in America’s Senate, in the latter case with 67 votes of 100. But in America it should not be a partisan issue. Mr Obama noted positive discussions he has had with leading senators of both parties on the foreign-affairs committee, John Kerry, the Democrat, and the Republican ranking member, Richard Lugar. The White House addressed a potential sticking point, saying the new deal does not place any limits on testing, development or deployment of current or planned America missile-defence programmes. Robert Gates, the defence secretary, expressed the hope that Russia would co-operate with a redesigned missile-defence system in Europe. Russia was pleased at the inclusion of language referring to the clear relationship between offensive systems and missile defence. …
“Iran provides limited support for Taliban”
March 12th, 2010 |
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U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said Thursday that Iran’s support for the Taliban in Afghanistan is “pretty limited”. Gates spoke Thursday during a stop at a U.S. military base en route to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
Gates in Kabul, warns of “hard days” ahead
March 8th, 2010 |
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U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Kabul today warning of “very hard days” ahead in the fight against the Taliban. Gates, speaking to reporters on his plane before landing in the Afghan capital, acknowledged recent gains against the Islamic militants, including an offensive to take control of their strongholds in southern Helmand Province.
Gates calls for major changes at NATO
February 24th, 2010 |
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U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates called on the NATO alliance Tuesday to chart a clear path toward relevance and enhanced capability, VOA reports. Gates wants a key NATO document being drafted this year to advance a transformation theme U.S. leaders have been pressing for a long time.
US denies Iran claim on uranium deal
February 7th, 2010 |
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US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates said yesterday he doubted a deal to send some of Iran’s uranium abroad for enrichment was close, directly contradicting Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki. The latest spat comes amid Western powers’ growing impatience with Iran over what they say
Pakistan snubs US over new operation
January 21st, 2010 |
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ISLAMABAD – Pakistan on Thursday conveyed to the US that it couldn’t launch any other military operation until it fully secured and stabilised South Waziristan Agency, the stronghold of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), sources informed TheNation.
This policy decision was conveyed to the visiting US Defence Secretary Robert Gates who met separately with Pakistani civil and military leadership.
Gates who is leading the largest US delegation met with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Defence Minister Ch Ahmed Mukhtar, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Tariq Majid and Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
The sources informed that host of issues including war on terror, regional security situation, US drone strikes into Pakistani territory, Indo-US nuclear relations as well as Pak-US bilateral defence cooperation came under dissuasion in the meetings. According to sources, Robert Gates had tossed up the US proposal seeking military operation in PakistanÂ’s North Waziristan Agency (NWA) in the meetings but received cold shoulder from Pakistani leadership.
“Islamabad has categorically told US Defence Secretary that it cannot undertake another military operation unless it secures and stabilises Taliban stronghold South Waziristan,” sources said.
President Zardari during a dinner meeting with Robert Gates’ team welcomed US affirmation of commitment to Pakistan’s stability and security. “It must be based on mutual respect and trust”, Farhatullah Babar quoted President as telling Gates.
President Zardari also emphasised that the issue of arrears in Coalition Support Fund (CSF) amounting to over $1.3 billion be resolved at the earliest. The President said that the economic cost of the war against terror amounting to $35 billion for the last eight years had gravely impacted PakistanÂ’s economy and the amount under CSF had actually been spent by Pakistan that needed to be reimbursed urgently.
“Pakistan has been facing delays in payments of Coalition Support Fund claims,” the President informed the Defence Secretary and urged for timely reimbursement of arrears. The President also expressed reservations over the new screening regime for Pakistani nationals saying it had generated resentment in the country and called for its review.
About the drone attacks on Pakistani territory, the President said that it undermined the national consensus against war on militancy and called for creating a mechanism whereby the drones were used by PakistanÂ’s security forces and not by foreign troops that raised questions of sovereignty.
“It was critical that national consensus on war against militancy was not allowed to erode and anything that tended to weaken it was avoided,” the President emphasised.
The President said when Pakistani security forces employed hi-tech in the war, it had no negative fallout. He said, “If our own security forces possessed drones, it would be a more helpful high tech weapon of war than when it was used by foreign forces.”
The President also called for strengthening law enforcing agencies and provision of necessary equipment for meeting the ends of fight against militancy. He said that democratic stability in Pakistan was contingent upon advancement of our development agenda and called upon the industrialised world to play a greater role.
President said that a Marshal Plan was needed to overcome economic problems and called for the Friends of Democratic Pakistan to translate into practice the pledges of economic and financial support to Pakistan. He also called for allowing greater market access to Pakistani goods in the US and European markets.
The President emphasised the need for early adoption of legislation in the US on Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (RoZs) to give the needed relief to the tribal people in their search for economic well-being and social and political stability to counter forces of extremism and militancy.
Referring to the new Afghan strategy of the US, the President said that Pakistan had legitimate interests in promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan and urged that US must remain sensitive to PakistanÂ’s core national interests and concerns.
US actions should remain on the Afghan side of the border, he added.
President Zardari also underlined the need for controlling drugs that he said, were serving as “a force multiplier “ to the benefit of militants.
Robert Gates appreciated PakistanÂ’s role in the war against extremism and militancy and assured full support to Pakistan in fight against militancy as well as economic rehabilitation.
The Prime Minister in his meeting with Gates conveyed sheer concerns of PakistanÂ’s Parliament over the continued US drones strikes into Pakistani territory. The PM called for reversing the US drone policy saying it was proving counterproductive, as efforts to separate tribesmen from Taliban were not paying off.
Defence Minister Ch Ahmed Mukhtar during his meeting with the US Defence Secretary called upon the US to enter into civilian-nuclear energy cooperation with Pakistan and also to recognise it as a nuclear state.
Military leadership including Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Tariq Majeed in their separate meeting with US Defence Secretary called for enhanced intelligence sharing to make the terror war more meaningful and goal-oriented. They also expressed concerns over the manner Afghan soil was being used to destabilise Pakistan. The visiting US Defence Secretary also laid wreath at Yadgar-e-Shuhada.
US defence chief praises India’s restraint after Mumbai attacks
January 19th, 2010 |
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Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Monday praised India for showing “restraint” since the Mumbai attacks, saying it had kept tensions with Pakistan under control. Speaking to reporters on his plane before his arrival in New Delhi on Tuesday, Gates expressed admiration for how Indian leaders
No good US intelligence on Bin Laden ‘for years’
December 6th, 2009 |
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The United States does not know where Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden is and has lacked reliable information on his whereabouts for years, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates told ABC News on Sunday. Gates made the revelation in an interview with the ABC News “This Week” program. When
Defense minister meets U.S. counterpart
December 2nd, 2009 |
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Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Å utanovac on Tuesday met with his U.S. counterpart Robert Gates in Washington, Beta reports. He said afterward that it was one of the most important encounters since he assumed the helm of the ministry and that the visit should improve the overall relations between Serbia and the U.S., and not only in the area of defense.
India has expressed concern over US arms supply to Pakistan: Nirupama Rao
November 24th, 2009 |
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Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao has told media persons here that the Indian Government has expressed its concern to Washington over US arms supply to Pakistan.
Addressing a press conference here last night, Rao said Indian Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh has expressed his concern over the misuse of arms supplied to Pakistan by the United States.
Rao, [...]
‘US to deploy troops in S Korea to Afghanistan
October 26th, 2009 |
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The US is considering making its presence felt in South Korea and discussing with the country’s leaders the possibility of redeploying some American troops in Seoul to Afghanistan.
The move will come after they re-adjust their South Korean tours, told a top American military commander.
South Korea’s defence ministry denied being in talks with its US counterpart [...]