Gates Praises USS Lincoln's Crew for War Contributions
(December 8, 2010) |
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| MUSCAT, Oman, Dec. 6, 2010 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today praised the
crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln for its support of the war effort in
Afghanistan.
Gates arrived aboard the Nimitz-class supercarrier off the coast of Oman this
morning, and in addition to touring the ship, observing operations and meeting
with small groups of crew members, he held an “all hands call” with hundreds of
sailors. |
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates
receives a briefing on the Combat Direction Center while aboard the
USS Abraham Lincoln, which is under way in the Arabian Sea, Dec. 6,
2010.
DOD photo by Air Force Master Sgt. Jerry Morrison |
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“This visit gives me the opportunity to thank all of you for your service,
personally and on behalf of the American people,” he told the Lincoln's crew. “I
want you to know that the entire nation is praying for you and for the success
of your mission.”
Though they're hundreds of miles from Afghanistan, the secretary said, their
efforts are making an important impact for ground forces there.
“When your aircraft come screaming, our troops hear the sound of relief and the
enemy knows what's coming next,” Gates said. “You are delivering lethal blows to
them and protecting the lives of our men and women on the battlefield. Still,
recognizing the complexities of this battle |
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environment, you have been extraordinarily conscious about the need
to avoid civilian casualties.” |
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The secretary invited questions from the crew, and their
topics included the defense budget, the prospects for repeal
of the “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” law, and North Korean
provocation.
In response to a sailor who asked whether defense budget
cuts might affect the Navy's ability to buy ships, Gates
said that while the country is facing a $1.3 trillion
deficit, the defense budget should not be a target.
“People are going to look to us to be responsible and to
contribute to addressing these problems,” he said. “My view
is that we don't address those problems by cutting the
defense budget. We address those problems by making sure
that every dollar spent for defense is spent wisely and
intelligently. It means cutting wasteful programs and
overhead and excess staff, and investing that in force
structure and capabilities.
“I don't see the world getting safer over the next 10 years;
there will continue to be significant challenges even after
Iraq and Afghanistan,” he continued. “And so my hope is that
the Congress will work with us, recognize the efforts that
we have made to rid the defense budget of waste and abuse
and allow us to use the monies we've identified in overhead
and apply them against capabilities.”
Failing that, he added, the military's ability to sustain
its force structure, including the number of ships, “will be
seriously in jeopardy, in my view.”
Another sailor asked whether, in light of recent North
Korean provocation, the Lincoln crew might head to that
region next. Gates replied that it's not likely.
“I think the general feeling is that what we are seeing in
these provocations in North Korea is a part of the
succession, as Kim Jong-Il prepares for his son to take his
place,” he explained. |
The sinking of a South Korean ship earlier this year, the revelation
of a North Korean nuclear enrichment facility and the recent
artillery attack on a South Korean island seem to be designed to
show the North Korean people, and most importantly, its military,
that the ailing leader's son and heir apparent is tough and strong
enough to take leadership, Gates said.
“I think this is a difficult and potentially dangerous time,” the
secretary added. “The North Koreans have engaged in some very
provocative actions. They get everyone upset, then they volunteer to
come back to talks, and we basically end up buying the same horse
twice.
“So I think we need to figure out the way ahead with North Korea,”
he |
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Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates observes launches and recoveries while onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which is under way in the Arabian Sea, Dec. 6, 2010. DOD photo by Air Force Master Sgt. Jerry Morrison |
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continued. “Nobody wants a war on the Korean peninsula. And I think
we just have to work with the Chinese and with others to see if we
can't bring some greater stability, some greater predictability to
the regime in Pyongyang.” |
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Another crew member wanted to know whether Gates thinks the
current Congress will repeal the law that bans gays from
serving openly in the military after a Defense Department
working group that studied the issue released its report
last week.
“I'd have to say I'm not particularly optimistic that
they're going to get this done,” he said, noting that
Congress has only two weeks remaining in the current
session. “I would hope that they would,” he added.
Gates reiterated his concern that if Congress doesn't act on
the “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” legislation –- which would
repeal the law once he certifies, along with the president
and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that the
military can handle it -- the courts might overturn the
policy on their own.
“My greatest fear is that we will be told that this law will
be overturned by a court and we will be told to implement it
without any time for preparation for training [or] any of
the other efforts that need to be undertaken to prepare us
for such a change,” he said. By contrast, he added, the
legislative repeal route gives the Pentagon “enormous
latitude” to prepare for such a change.
The service chiefs provided testimony on the matter before
the Senate Armed Services Committee last week, and some said
that while they believe the law eventually will be repealed,
now may not be the right time for that to happen.
“I agree with the service chiefs,” Gates said today. “A
change in this law is inevitable. Their concern is whether
it ought to be done now, while the force is under such
stress, with such continuing rotations, or deployments,
still having the war in Afghanistan, and still having 50,000
troops in Iraq.
“Their view is, by and large, that it should come, but not
now,” he continued. “And we'll see where the Congress goes
with it.”
If Congress does repeal the law, Gates told the group, he
would put a lot of stock in the service chiefs' views in
terms of when to certify the military is ready to implement
repeal.
Gates will remain aboard the carrier overnight. | |
By John D. Banusiewicz
American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2010
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