Robert Gates will become the 22nd Secretary of Defense on Dec. 18, replacing Donald Rumsfeld, for whom the Pentagon plans a Dec. 15 farewell. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters that Gates and Rumsfeld will continue their meetings this week to discuss transition issues. Among his early priorities, Gates told lawmakers during his confirmation hearing, that he would review the Fiscal 2008 budget submission. Gates believes the defense budget topline needs help, but it may be too late to influence the 2008 request.
While the Space Force is still making long-term plans to establish high-fidelity live and virtual test and training ranges in the coming years, officials say they're also working with operators to identify near-term gaps and quickly field capabilities to address them.
