Latest from The Spokesman-Review

• In WSU address, Gates lauds service

  May 8, 2011 in City on Page A1 PULLMAN – U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates implored Washington State University graduates on Saturday to ignore the rancor often aimed at government workers and consider a career in public service. …

• Gates calls on WSU grads to consider public service

  May 7, 2011 in News U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates implored Washington State University graduates today to ignore the rancor often aimed at government workers and consider a career in public service. Gates said he’s …

• Judge inclined to reject delay of gay troops order

  October 18, 2010 in Nation/World A federal judge says she’s inclined to deny a government request to delay her order that immediately stopped the military from enforcing its ban on openly gay service members.

• Federal judge orders ’don’t ask, don’t tell’ injunction

  October 12, 2010 in Nation/World A federal judge issued a worldwide injunction today stopping enforcement of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, ending the U.S. military’s 17-year-old ban on openly gay troops. 13

• Gates urges global pressure on Iran

  February 9, 2010 in Nation/World on Page A4 BEIRUT, Lebanon – As Iran moved to enrich uranium to a higher level of purity and build new nuclear-fuel plants, U.S. and French defense officials suggested Monday that sanctions were …

• Gates: Military fails to spot danger within ranks

  January 15, 2010 in Nation/World Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday an investigation into the Fort Hood shootings found the military isn’t sufficiently prepared to prevent similar attacks in the future. 3

• Nation in brief: Gates says he’ll stay through year

  January 8, 2010 in Nation/World on Page A3 Washington – Defense Secretary Robert Gates, a holdover from the Bush administration, will remain in his Cabinet post for at least another year, his spokesman said Thursday. Gates, who has …

• Gates visits Afghanistan

  December 8, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A4 KABUL, Afghanistan – Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Afghanistan today with plans to assure officials and American troops there that the United States is committed to winning the war …

• Gates denies ‘exit strategy’ for Afghanistan

  December 7, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A3 WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates denied Sunday that President Barack Obama had set an “exit strategy” for Afghanistan, and he forecast that only a “handful” of U.S. troops …

• Gates says U.S. has no deadlines on drawdown

  December 4, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A3 WASHINGTON – The withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, scheduled to begin in July 2011, will “probably” take two or three years, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday, although he … 1

• Gates orders Fort Hood inquiry

  November 20, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A3 WASHINGTON – A wide-ranging review ordered Thursday by Defense Secretary Robert Gates will strive to answer what he called “troubling questions” raised by the shootings at Fort Hood. The Pentagon …

• Surge could happen fast, Gates says

  November 20, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A4 WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Robert Gates said any new U.S. forces President Barack Obama sends to Afghanistan could move into the country swiftly, despite logistical hassles that force almost all …

• U.S. warns Japan against reneging on troop plans

  October 22, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A3 WASHINGTON – Worried about a new direction in Japan’s foreign policy, the Obama administration warned the Tokyo government Wednesday of serious consequences if it reneges on a military realignment plan …

• Rifts deepen on war strategy

  October 6, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A3 WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday that President Barack Obama’s advisers should keep their guidance private, in effect admonishing the top U.S. and allied commander in Afghanistan for …

• Gates restores Air Force authority in tanker deal

  September 16, 2009 in Nation/World, City WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday restored the Air Force’s authority to select the winner of a $35 billion contract for aerial refueling tankers between Boeing Co. and … 1

• Gates open to more troops

  September 4, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A4 WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Robert Gates indicated Thursday that he is open to increasing the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, voicing a shift in his position as the administration …

• Report won’t ask for more troops in Afghanistan

  August 14, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A3 WASHINGTON – An upcoming assessment of Afghanistan by the top U.S. commander there will not include a request for additional U.S. troops, as has been widely expected, Defense Secretary Robert …

• Gates open to seeking more missiles

  June 2, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A5 FORT GREELY, Alaska – Defense Secretary Robert Gates isn’t ruling out spending more on missile defense than what he’s asked for in next year’s budget if North Korea or other …

• New Air Force tanker competition slated for summer

  April 7, 2009 in Nation/World, Region Defense Secretary Robert Gates plans to try again this summer to pick a defense contractor to build a badly needed replacement for the Air Force’s 50-year-old fleet of aerial refueling …

• Gates wants shift from ‘exquisite’ weapons

  April 7, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A3 WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Robert Gates outlined sweeping changes to the defense budget Monday that would shift hundreds of billions of dollars in Pentagon spending away from elaborate weapons toward …

• Boeing would take a hit in Gates’ budget

  April 7, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A3 SEATTLE – Boeing would be hit hard if a series of major defense budget cuts proposed Monday by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates are implemented. Gates’ budget recommendations signal the …

• U.S. military ponders Iran’s nuclear plans

  March 2, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A4 WASHINGTON – The nation’s top military officer said Sunday that Iran has enough nuclear material to make a bomb, but Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said the country was not …

• U.S. troops in Afghanistan may double by late summer

  January 28, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A4 WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday “we are lost” unless the United States can find a way not to kill so many civilians in the pursuit of militants …

• ‘20th hijacker’ tortured by military, official says

  January 14, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A2 WASHINGTON – The top Bush administration official in charge of deciding whether to bring Guantanamo Bay detainees to trial has concluded that the U.S. military tortured a Saudi national who …