In a sp
eech to the 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy Sunday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates responded to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent criticism of US foreign policy, saying “We all face many common problems and challenges that must be addressed in partnership with other countries, including Russia.” Gates acknowledged that he and Putin share a Cold War intel background and said he had accepted an invitation from Putin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov to visit Russia.
The Air Force wants to pump more than $12 billion over the next five years into its new affordable long-range missiles program and recently asked industry to push the flights of some of those munitions beyond 1,200 miles.