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Monday, April 21, 2008
Gates criticizes Air Force effort in Iraq, Afghanistan
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday the Air Force is not doing enough to help in the Iraq and Afghanistan war effort, complaining that some military leaders are “stuck in old ways of doing business,” the Associated Press is reporting.
Gates said in a speech at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., that getting the Air Force to send more surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft to Iraq and Afghanistan has been “like pulling teeth.”
Gates, who served in the Air Force in the 1960s as a young officer, also urged the officers in his audience to dedicate themselves to thinking creatively.
According to the AP story, he said the Air Force and the other branches of the military need to protect those in their ranks who are maverick thinkers, who defy convention and push for creative solutions to hard problems.
“Dissent is a sign of health in an organization, and particularly if it’s done in the right way,” Gates said.
What do you think about Gates’ remarks?
