He’s In the Hot Seat, Now:

Dec. 7, 2006

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Robert Gates to be the next Secretary of Defense. The vote was 95-2.

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Trending Stories

Summer at USAFA: Academy Aims to Teach Airmanship to All

New Superintendent Takes the Reins at Air Force Academy

DARPA Looks to Develop Next-Generation Hypersonic Cruise Missile

Air Force Wants a Drone Factory in a Box for Rapid, Remote Deployments

Related

Report Pushes New Training Approach for Air Force on AI and Tech

Aug. 13, 2026
A new report on modernizing Air Force training and education suggests borrowing a method from the civilian technology industry to help Airmen and Guardians build skills in key new areas like artificial intelligence: stackable certificates.

Saltzman Prepares to Leave ‘Combat-Credible, Battle-Tested’ Space Force

Aug. 13, 2026
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, and Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John F. Bentivegna paid tribute to Gen. B. Chance Saltzman at the Chief of Space Operations’ Aug. 13 retirement ceremony, ahead of a formal change of responsibility…

Summer at USAFA: Academy Aims to Teach Airmanship to All

Aug. 12, 2026
The Air Force Academy operates the largest glider program in the U.S., with more than 15,000 flights every year—almost entirely led and managed by the youngest instructor pilots in the Air Force. The enterprise is poised to get even busier as USAFA leaders drive toward their ambitious objective: to get…

Budget Instability Puts Golden Dome at Risk, Guetlein Warns

Aug. 11, 2026
Space Force Gen. Michael A. Guetlein, the director of the Pentagon’s Golden Dome program, warned that without the Defense Department’s $350 billion reconciliation request, the homeland missile defense effort is in dire straits.