Robert Gates, U.s. Troops | featured news

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday that abruptly ending the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays as a federal judge has ordered would have enormous consequences.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is expected to leave his post in the spring of 2011, a senior administration source told CNN on Monday.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Friday he was disappointed by criticism from Secretary of Defense Robert Gates over the release of about 75,000 pages of U.S. documents related to the war in Afghanistan.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates visited as Baghdad was reeling from bombings and U.S. forces are beginning to prepare for withdrawals this spring.

Perhaps only a “handful” of U.S. troops will leave Afghanistan in 2011, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said.

In a surprising evolution, the secretaries of state and defense have formed an informal partnership in favor of a moderate buildup in American troops.