Spencer Ackerman is focusing on a Q&A exchange from a Pentagon press Conference last week with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Speculation about the Secretary's future is a common discussion topic among DC defense observers like Ackerman.
So how long will Robert Gates be around? Well, if Gates is truly "Yoda" like the Politico claims, then the great Jedi plan isn't very complicated.
Gates will stay as Secretary of Defense long enough to replace Adm Mullen, because only that will insure that the vision of the Pentagon he has worked so hard on since 2006 is passed on for another 4 years. The only way to do that is to make sure he recommends the appointment of the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
So who might that be? If I was laying Vegas odds I'd bet heavy on a techno centric PH.d. whose credentials are not in debate, who has had direct involvement in building alliances for the current military campaigns, and influence on US military strategy has endured the test of 21st century irregular warfare time. He must have experience leading a successful counterinsurgency, and as a bonus, will not be a Washington DC insider.
There are only two choices, and because these selections are political - I would bet choice one instead of choice two.
In that context, we know for about how long Robert Gates will be around the Pentagon - another 14+ months. The real question is - who replaces him? Even if the replacement has specific roots, there are still multiple good choices.
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