A Single-Minded Focus on Dual Wars - Greg Jaffe, Washington Post.

A Single-Minded Focus on Dual Wars - Greg Jaffe, Washington Post.

... Gates's experience at Dover offers a window into what is driving him as he seeks to remake Washington's biggest and most ponderous bureaucracy. For decades, the Pentagon's focus has been on building expensive, high-tech weapons programs for conventional wars. Gates has embarked on an ambitious effort to force the department to focus more of its energy on developing arms and equipment that can help troops on the ground as they battle insurgencies in Afghanistan and Iraq.

His push to refocus the department comes as the war in Afghanistan appears in stalemate and violence against US troops and Afghan forces is on the rise. In neighboring Pakistan, where the Taliban and al-Qaeda have carved out a haven from which they can launch attacks on US troops, the government's hold on power throughout the country has grown shakier.

Last week, Gates fired the top US commander in Afghanistan. The new commanders will be responsible for fighting the war and implementing President Obama's new strategy. Gates sees his job as making sure they have the tools they need...

More at The Washington Post.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/14/AR2009051404450.html?hpid=topnews