Military must focus on current wars, Gates says

On Tuesday Gates acknowledged the debate and agreed the U.S. "would be hard-pressed to launch a major conventional ground operation elsewhere in the world at this time." But, he said, that scenario is not likely, and the U.S. has ample air and naval power to "defeat any — repeat any — adversary who committed an act of aggression — whether in the Gulf, on the Korean Peninsula, or in the Straits of Taiwan."

The risk, he added, is prudent and manageable.

Gates pointed to the mine-resistant vehicles as an example of spending money now on critical lifesaving equipment, rather than pouring all resources into war-fighting systems of the future.

Roadside bombs and suicide attacks "have become the weapons of choice for America's most dangerous and likely adversaries — and the need to have a vehicle of this kind won't go away," he said.

Gates also issued a warning to the military services, which have long set their sights on pricey, sophisticated weapons systems that take decades to develop and get onto the battlefield.

The Army has its $200 billion Future Combat System, the Air Force has its F-22 jet fighter. Both programs have been plagued by delays and escalating costs, as well as criticism from Congress.

Such weapons programs will have to show they can be useful now against terrorist groups and insurgents, he said.

In a recent visit to the Red River Army Depot in Texas, Gates saw some pieces of the Future Combat System that can be sent to the war front now — and he said that must continue in order for the program to continue to be viable.

"We hear him loud and clear, and we're doing what he wants," Lt. Col. Martin Downie, an Army spokesman, said later Tuesday.

Among innovations Gates saw in Texas that are being used in Iraq are a new unmanned aerial vehicle, improved armor for land vehicles and a command post communications system that draws in a wider range of information at a faster pace, said Lt. Gen. Michael A. Vane, head of the Army Capabilities Integration Center.

"Tomorrow's readiness is influenced by today's capabilities," Vane said in a Pentagon interview. "The Future Combat System is relevant in today's battles as well as for tomorrow's."

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