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Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War Paperback – May 12, 2015

by Robert M. Gates (Author)

4,913 ratings

Goodreads Choice Award nominee

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After serving six presidents in both the CIA and the National Security Council, Robert M. Gates believed that he had left Washington politics behind for good—but when he received the call from the White House in 2006 to help a nation mired in two wars, he answered what he felt was the call of duty.

Forthright and unsparing, Duty is Gates’s behind-the-scenes account of his nearly five years as a Secretary of Defense at war: the battles with Congress, the two presidents he served, the military itself, and the vast Pentagon bureaucracy; his efforts to help George W. Bush turn the tide in Iraq; his role as a guiding (and often dissenting) voice for Barack Obama; and, most importantly, his ardent devotion to and love for American soldiers. Offering unvarnished appraisals of our political leaders, including Dick Cheney, Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton, Duty tells a powerful and deeply personal story, giving us an unprecedented look at two administrations and the wars that have defined them.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A 2014 New York Times Notable Book

“Probably one of the best Washington memoirs ever...Historians and policy wonks will bask in the revelations Gates provides on major decisions from late 2006 to 2011, the span of his time at the Pentagon…Gates is doing far more than just scoring points in this revealing volume. The key to reading it is understanding that he was profoundly affected by his role in sending American soldiers overseas to fight and be killed or maimed.”
—Thomas E. Ricks, The New York Times Book Review

“Touching, heartfelt...fascinating...Gates takes the reader inside the war-room deliberations of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama and delivers unsentimental assessments of each man’s temperament, intellect and management style...No civilian in Washington was closer to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan than Gates. As Washington and the rest of the country were growing bored with the grinding conflicts, he seemed to feel their burden more acutely.”
—Greg Jaffe, The Washington Post

“Forthright, impassioned…highly revealing about decision making in both the Obama and Bush White Houses…[Gates’] writing is informed not only by a keen sense of historical context, but also by a longtime Washington veteran’s understanding of how the levers of government work or fail to work. Unlike many careful Washington memoirists, Gates speaks his mind on a host of issues…[he] gives us his shrewd take on a range of foreign policy matters, an understanding of his mission to reform the incoherent spending and procurement policies of the Pentagon, and a tactile sense of what it was like to be defense secretary during two wars.”
—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

“A refreshingly honest memoir and a moving one.”
—Jack Keane, The Wall Street Journal

“A compelling memoir and a serious history…A fascinating, briskly honest account [of a] journey through the cutthroat corridors of Washington and world politics, with shrewd, sometimes eye-popping observations along the way about the nature of war and the limits of power.…Gates was a truly historic secretary of defense…precisely because he did get so much done…His descriptions of how he accomplished these feats—the mix of cooptation and coercion that he employed—should be read by every future defense secretary, and executives of all stripes, as a guide for how to command and overhaul a large institution.”
—Fred Kaplan, Slate

“A breathtakingly comprehensive and ultimately unsparing examination of the modern ways of making politics, policy, and war…Students of the nation’s two early twenty-first century wars will find the comprehensive account of Pentagon and White House deliberations riveting. General readers will be drawn to [Gates’] meditations on power and on life at the center of great political decisions…His vision is clear and his tale is sad. Gates takes ‘Duty’ as his title, but the account of his service also brings to mind the other two thirds of the West Point motto: ‘honor’ and ‘country.’”
—David M. Shribman, The Boston Globe

“Duty…is an invaluable contribution to our understanding of what makes Washington tick.”
—Edward Luce, Financial Times

“Gates has offered…an informed and…earnest perspective, one that Americans ought to hear, reflect on and debate.”
—Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic

“Engaging and candid….Young people who want to understand and live up to the highest ideals of American statesmanship would do well to read this book carefully; Gates has much to teach about the practical idealism that represents the best kind of American leadership.”
—Foreign Affairs

“Compelling…trenchant.”
—Newsday

“This is a serious, thoughtful, illuminating, and valuable insider account of the final years of the George W. Bush administration and early years of the Obama presidency….Gates holds little back in this revealing memoir.”
—Choice

“If you read only one book by a Washington insider this year, make it this one. It should be savored by anyone who wishes to know more about the realities of decision-making in today’s federal government.”
—Library Journal

“The full story that emerges from this detailed and often deeply personal account is of a man fed up with the dysfunction of the nation’s capital.”
—The American Conservative

About the Author

Robert M. Gates served as secretary of defense from 2006 to 2011. He also served as an officer in the United States Air Force and worked for the Central Intelligence Agency before being appointed director of the agency by President George H. W. Bush. He was a member of the National Security Council staff in four administrations and served eight presidents of both political parties. Additionally, Gates has a continuing distinguished record in the private sector and in academia, including currently serving as chancellor of the College of William and Mary. He holds a Ph.D. in Russian and Soviet history from Georgetown University.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Author’s Note

This is a book about my more than four and a half years at war. It is, of course, principally about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where initial victories in both countries were squandered by mistakes, shortsighted- ness, and conflict in the field as well as in Washington, leading to long, brutal campaigns to avert strategic defeat. It is about the war against al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, those responsible for our national tragedy on September 11, 2001. But this book is also about my political war with Congress every day I was in office and the dramatic contrast between my public respect, bipartisanship, and calm, and my private frustration, disgust, and anger. There were also political wars with the White House, often with the White House staff, occasionally with the presidents themselves—more with President Obama than with President Bush. And finally, there was my bureaucratic war with the Department of Defense and the military services, aimed at transforming a department organized to plan for war into one that could wage war, changing the military forces we had into the military forces we needed to succeed.

George W. Bush and Barack Obama were, respectively, the seventh and eighth presidents I worked for. I knew neither man when I began working for them, and they did not know me. To my astonishment (and consternation), I became the only secretary of defense in history to be asked to remain in the position by a newly elected president, let alone one of a different party. I came to the job in mid-December 2006 with the sole purpose of doing what I could to salvage the mission in Iraq from disaster. I had no idea how to do it, nor any idea of the sweeping changes I would need to make at the Pentagon to get it done. And I had no idea how dramatically and how far my mission over time would expand beyond Iraq.

As I look back, there is a parallel theme to my four and a half years at war: love. By that I mean the love—there is no other word for it—I came to feel for the troops, and the overwhelming sense of personal responsibility I developed for them. So much so that it would shape some of my most significant decisions and positions. Toward the end of my time in office, I could barely speak to them or about them without being overcome with emotion. Early in my fifth year, I came to believe my determination to protect them—in the wars we were in and from new wars—was clouding my judgment and diminishing my usefulness to the president, and thus it played a part in my decision to retire.

I make no pretense that this book is a complete, much less definitive, history of the period from 2006 to 2011. It is simply my personal story about being secretary of defense during those turbulent, difficult years.

Chapter 1
Summoned to Duty

I had become president of Texas A&M University in August 2002, and by October 2006 I was well into my fifth year. I was very happy there, and many—but not all—Aggies believed I was making significant improvements in nearly all aspects of the university (except football). I had originally committed to staying five years but agreed to extend that to seven years—summer 2009. Then my wife, Becky, and I would finally return to our home in the Pacific Northwest.

The week of October 15, 2006, the week that would change my life, started out routinely with several meetings. Then I took to the road, ending up in Des Moines, Iowa, where I was to give a speech on Friday, the twentieth.

Just past one p.m. that day I received an e-mail from my secretary, Sandy Crawford, saying that President Bush’s national security adviser, Steve Hadley, wanted to speak to me on the phone within an hour or two. Hadley’s assistant was “quite insistent” that the message be passed to me. I told Sandy to inform the assistant I would return Steve’s call on Saturday morning. I had no idea why Steve was calling, but I had spent nearly nine years at the White House on the National Security Council (NSC) staff under four presidents, and I knew that the West Wing often demanded instant responses that were rarely necessary.

Hadley and I had first met on the NSC staff in the summer of 1974 and had remained friends, though we were in contact infrequently. In January 2005, Steve—who had succeeded Condoleezza Rice as George W. Bush’s national security adviser for the second Bush term—had asked me to consider becoming the first director of national intelligence (DNI), a job created by legislation the previous year, legislation—and a job—that I had vigorously opposed as unworkable. The president and his senior advisers wanted me to make it work. I met with Hadley and White House chief of staff Andy Card in Washington on Monday of inauguration week. We had very detailed conversations about authorities and presidential empowerment of the DNI, and by the weekend they and I both thought I would agree to take the job.

I was to call Card at Camp David with my final answer the following Monday. Over the weekend I wrestled with the decision. On Saturday night, lying awake in bed, I told Becky she could make this decision really easy for me; I knew how much she loved being at Texas A&M, and all she had to say was that she didn’t want to return to Washington, D.C. Instead, she said, “We have to do what you have to do.” I said, “Thanks a lot.”

Late Sunday night I walked around the campus smoking a cigar. As I walked past familiar landmarks and buildings, I decided I could not leave Texas A&M; there was still too much I wanted to accomplish there. And I really, really did not want to go back into government. I called Andy the next morning and told him to tell the president I would not take the job. He seemed stunned. He must have felt that I had led them on, which I regretted, but it really had been a last-minute decision. There was one consolation. I told Becky, “We are safe now—the Bush administration will never ask me to do another thing.” I was wrong.

At nine a.m. on Saturday—now nearly two years later—I returned Steve’s call as promised. He wasted no time in posing a simple, direct question: “If the president asked you to become secretary of defense, would you accept?” Stunned, I gave him an equally simple, direct answer without hesitation: “We have kids dying in two wars. If the president thinks I can help, I have no choice but to say yes. It’s my duty.” The troops out there were doing their duty—how could I not do mine?

That said, I sat at my desk frozen. My God, what have I done? I kept thinking to myself. I knew that after nearly forty years of marriage, Becky would support my decision and all that it meant for our two children as well, but I was still terrified to tell her.

Josh Bolten, a former director of the Office of Management and Bud- get, who had replaced Card as White House chief of staff earlier that year, called a few days later to reassure himself of my intentions. He asked if I had any ethical issues that could be a problem, like hiring illegal immigrants as nannies or housekeepers. I decided to have some fun at his expense and told him we had a noncitizen housekeeper. Before he began to hyperventilate, I told him she had a green card and was well along the path to citizenship. I don’t think he appreciated my sense of humor.

Bolten then said a private interview had to be arranged for me with the president. I told him I thought I could slip into Washington for dinner on Sunday, November 12, without attracting attention. The president wanted to move faster. Josh e-mailed me on October 31 to see if I could drive to the Bush ranch near Crawford, Texas, for an early morning meeting on Sunday, November 5.

The arrangements set up by deputy White House chief of staff Joe Hagin were very precise. He e-mailed me that I should meet him at eight-thirty a.m. in McGregor, Texas, about twenty minutes from the ranch. I would find him in the parking lot at the Brookshire Brothers grocery store, sitting in a white Dodge Durango parked to the right of the entrance. Dress would be “ranch casual”—sport shirt and khakis or jeans. I look back with amusement that my job interviews with both President Bush and President-elect Obama involved more cloak-and- dagger clandestinity than most of my decades-long career in the CIA.

I did not tell anyone other than Becky what was going on except for the president’s father, former president George H. W. Bush (the forty- first president, Bush 41), with whom I wanted to consult. He was the reason I had come to Texas A&M in the first place, in 1999, to be the interim dean of the George H. W. Bush School of Government and Public Service. What was supposed to be a nine-month stint of a few days a month became two years and led directly to my becoming president of Texas A&M. Bush was sorry I would be leaving the university, but he knew the country had to come first. I also think he was happy that his son had reached out to me.

I left my house just before five a.m. to head for my interview with the president. Call me old-fashioned, but I thought a blazer and slacks more appropriate for a meeting with the president than a sport shirt and jeans. Starbucks wasn’t open that early, so I was pretty bleary-eyed for the first part of the two-and-a-half-hour drive. I was thinking the entire way about questions to ask and answers to give, the magnitude of the challenge, how life for both my wife and me would change, and how to approach the job of secretary of defense. I do not recall feeling any self- doubt on the drive to the ranch that morning, perhaps a reflection of just how little I understood the direness of the situation. I knew, however, that I had one thing going for me: most people had low expectations about what could be done to turn around the war in Iraq and change the climate in Washington.

During the drive I also thought about how strange it would be to join this administration. I had never had a conversation with the president. I had played no role in the 2000 campaign and was never asked to do so. I had virtually no contact with anyone in the administration during Bush’s first term and was dismayed when my closest friend and mentor, Brent Scowcroft, wound up in a public dispute with the administration over his opposition to going to war in Iraq. While I had known Rice, Hadley, Dick Cheney, and others for years, I was joining a group of people who had been through 9/11 together, who had been fighting two wars, and who had six years of being on the same team. I would be the outsider.

I made my clandestine rendezvous in McGregor with no problem. As we approached the ranch, I could see the difference in security as a result of 9/11. I had visited other presidential residences, and they were always heavily guarded, but nothing like this. I was dropped off at the president’s office, a spacious but simply decorated one-story building some distance from the main house. It has a large office and sitting room for the president, and a kitchen and a couple of offices with computers for staff. I arrived before the president (always good protocol), got a cup of coffee (finally), and looked around the place until the president arrived a few minutes later, promptly at nine. (He was always exceptionally punctual.) He had excused himself from a large group of friends and family celebrating his wife Laura’s sixtieth birthday.

We exchanged pleasantries, and he got down to business. He talked first about the importance of success in Iraq, saying that the current strategy wasn’t working and that a new one was needed. He told me he was thinking seriously about a significant surge in U.S. forces to restore security in Baghdad. He asked me about my experience on the Iraq Study Group (more later) and what I thought about such a surge. He said he thought we needed new military leadership in Iraq and was taking a close look at Lieutenant General David Petraeus. Iraq was obviously upper-most on his mind, but he also talked about his concerns in Afghanistan; a number of other national security challenges, including Iran; the climate in Washington; and his way of doing business, including an insistence on candor from his senior advisers. When he said specifically that his father did not know about our meeting, I felt a bit uncomfortable, but I did not disabuse him. It was clear he had not consulted his father about this possible appointment and that, contrary to later speculation, Bush 41 had no role in it....

Continued in DUTY: Memoirs of a Secretary at War…

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage; Reprint edition (May 12, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 672 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 030794963X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0307949639
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1280L
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.9 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.1 x 1.46 x 9.23 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #948,900 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #205 in Afghan War Biographies
- #473 in Political Leader Biographies
- #2,874 in Memoirs (Books)

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Robert Michael Gates

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ROBERT M. GATES is the author of Duty, and A Passion for Leadership. He served as secretary of defense under presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He was an officer in the United States Air Force and worked for the CIA before being appointed director of the agency. A member of the National Security Council staff in four administrations, he served eight presidents of both political parties. He was president of Texas A&M University from 2002 to 2006, is currently chancellor of the College of William & Mary, was national president of the Boy Scouts of America from 2014 to 2016, and has served on several corporate boards of directors. In 2018 he became chairman of Eisenhower Fellowships. He lives in Washington state.

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Customers find the book thoroughly compelling and refreshing in its candor, providing detailed insights into government operations and decision-making processes. Moreover, they appreciate the author's dedication to his job, his extraordinary courage and skill, and his heartfelt concern for the troops. Additionally, the book serves as a treasure trove of information for future historians. However, the level of detail receives mixed reactions, with some customers finding it too detailed for the average reader.

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1,344 customers mention "Readability"1,171 positive173 negative

Customers find the book thoroughly compelling and refreshingly candid, with one customer noting it serves as a running commentary.

"...I found the book fascinating, informative, and plausible...." Read more

"...In the second portion of the book it is very interesting to peer into the new administration from his point of view with his value sets and..." Read more

"...That he loved the troops and cared about their welfare is underscored throughout the book. Perhaps a little too much so to be seemly...." Read more

"...An excellent book for insights into how Washington DC works and how the mind of the Secretary of Defense Robert Gates worked...." Read more

925 customers mention "Insight"847 positive78 negative

Customers find the book insightful and interesting, providing detailed insights into the events. One customer describes it as a remarkable expose' on immense responsibilities.

"...I found the book fascinating, informative, and plausible...." Read more

"...I obtained great insight, though Robert Gates eyes as SECDEF, into George W, Bush’s strong character which correlates with his creation of”..." Read more

"...as decisive, smart, with good instincts, and a partner with the Defense department in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere for advancing the goals of the..." Read more

"...Perhaps no surprise there! That he did actually achieve a lot to improve their welfare in the face of institutional obstruction really does speak..." Read more

271 customers mention "History"271 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's historical content, describing it as a very candid and revealing memoir that serves as a treasure trove of information for future historians.

"...His writing style is lucid and easy to read. He creates interesting narratives about meetings with presidents, military leaders, and other heads of..." Read more

"...Tough, smart, entirely focused on the war and the well being of the troops and yet, in spite of the fact that he obviously despises politicians, is,..." Read more

"...Gates is humble and down-to-earth—his story speaks from the heart. I learned a lot about the issues as well as about various officials...." Read more

"...Finally, I really got the feeling that Gates made a real effort to tell a balanced story, openly conceding his mistakes and describing the pitfalls..." Read more

175 customers mention "Humility"169 positive6 negative

Customers appreciate the author's humility and dedication to his job, noting his extraordinary courage and skill as a public servant.

"...thank you to Dr. Robert M. Gates for serving our Country with courage, honor, integrity and tireless devotions, especially his endeavors to protect..." Read more

"...serving abroad are making extraordinary sacrifices with extraordinary courage and skill...." Read more

"...a thoughtful and deliberative leader, and respected by nearly everyone in the government...." Read more

"...He loved her intelligence, passion, work ethic, and her sense of humor. He feels that she is a person with a great sense of honor and of mission...." Read more

158 customers mention "Honesty"158 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the author's honesty, describing him as a thoroughly honest man who is refreshing in his candor.

"...His rather candid descriptions of individuals are not harsh but are frank and seldom flattering...." Read more

"...While Gates' narrative is honest and forthcoming, on balance, he is even-handed in his description of the principals in the defense and national..." Read more

"...He has no problem with getting personal, especially with his adversaries in the Obama White House...." Read more

"...The book was overwhelming in it’s depth, honesty, and inspiration. I am so thankful he wrote it for many reasons...." Read more

157 customers mention "Look"150 positive7 negative

Customers appreciate the book's insightful and candid perspective, providing a first-hand look at government operations.

"...It's easy to like and admire Gates because he doesn't take himself seriously. He admits he's a geezer and was nicknamed "Yoda."..." Read more

"...descriptions of individuals are not harsh but are frank and seldom flattering...." Read more

"...Mr. Gates' memoir "Duty" is eminently readable. It is beautifully, brilliantly written by a person with a very high IQ...." Read more

"...More importantly, Secretary Gates provides an insightful look at the inner workings of the DOD and the various government functions that affect the "..." Read more

147 customers mention "Heartfelt"127 positive20 negative

Customers appreciate the book's heartfelt approach, particularly noting the author's genuine concern for the troops and his empathetic perspective.

"...Finally, Gates is very powerful and emotional in reminding us that those who are serving abroad are making extraordinary sacrifices with..." Read more

"...is most impressive and most poignant is his genuine and palpable concern for the troops...." Read more

"...He loved her intelligence, passion, work ethic, and her sense of humor. He feels that she is a person with a great sense of honor and of mission...." Read more

"...He was a hands-on bureaucrat with empathy for the combat troops. He projected a dogged determination to see a task through once he made up his mind...." Read more

136 customers mention "Detail"44 positive92 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the level of detail in the book, with some finding it very detailed and comprehensive, while others consider it too detailed for the average reader and somewhat labor-intensive to read.

"...I found it very difficult to put down for several days...." Read more

"...Nonetheless, he is easy to read and understand even if somewhat tedious...." Read more

"...capstone to his years of service to his country by providing a direct and absorbing memoir about his experiences as secretary of defense...." Read more

"...by this mixture of factual and chronological method, sometimes overwhelms the reader, which is probably unavoidable in a true set of memoirs...." Read more

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Writing Historian
A Review of "Duty" by Robert M. Gates
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2014
Verified Purchase

One paragraph from Gates is worth highlighting to encapsulate the book's overall theme - "I did not enjoy being secretary of defense. As soldiers would put it, I had too many rocks in my rucksack: foreign wars, war with Congress, war with my own department, one crisis after another. Above all, I had to send young men and women in harm's way." That quote frames what I believe to be the cathartic reasons that Gates wrote this book. I do not believe that he wrote this book for political reasons.

The first two chapters chronicle those events which I feel set the tone for the rest of the memoir, namely, Gates' uncomfortable introduction to Washington politics in the midst of an unpopular conflict, having replaced an unpopular SecDef, as the Democratic Party in both houses flexes its newly gained clout.

A significant portion of the third chapter is devoted to Iraq. It is also where Gates discusses his observations and opinions of prominent members of the Bush cabinet and military services.

Chapter Four - entitled "Waging War on the Pentagon" - focuses on Gates' struggles to overcome the entrenched bureaucracy within the Pentagon.

Gates talks about Syria, Russia, Iran, Israel, Pakistan, China, North Korea, NATO, Eastern Europe, Georgia (Former Soviet Republic), and "of all things, piracy" in Chapter Five. The strongest points of this chapter are Gates' insights into his dealings with the Chinese, Russian and Israel leadership, as well as the somewhat symbiotic relationship between Israel and Iran.

Chapter Six - entitled "Good War, Bad War" - examines the shifting operational/strategic perspective as the war in Iraq seemed to be going much better while the conflict that enjoyed strong bipartisanship support, namely Afghanistan, seemed to be getting much worse. Gates' interaction with Vladimir Putin makes for more interesting reading. You will also find the author's perspective on the relief of the CENTCOM commander, Admiral Fallon, which highlights the fact that while administrations like candor from its military leaders, they don't like to read dissenting viewpoints in the national news.

Chapter 7 is a bit like Chapter 3 (but shorter) in that Gates' once again looks inward when chronicling a series of events that both horrified (flying nuclear weapons around the United States and Dover mortuary issues), annoyed (aerial tanker contract and Congressional reactions to several confirmation hearings) and mildly amused him (Condoleezza Rice's reaction to a briefing on Somali pirates). He also presents his side of events leading to the replacement of the Air Force's senior leadership.

In Chapter 8 ("Transition") Gates discusses how he walked a fine line between the incoming or outgoing administrations. He handles transition well, ably assisted by both the incoming and outgoing team, in a manner I can only describe as masterful.

The title of Chapter 9 (New Team, New Agenda, Old Secretary) hinted at the first signs of stress between Gates and the new team in the White House. He has many words of praise for SecState Hilary Clinton, who instantly gains his respect and trust. This chapter also discusses inadequate aeromedevac in Afghanistan, the need to produce an MRAP variant suitable for that theater, more Wounded Warrior and family initiatives, approving the photographing of the arrival of fallen heroes at Dover, FY 2010 budget pains, Repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Iran, problems with USMC parochialism in Afghanistan, and a number of other related topics.

Chapter Ten is where the narrative discloses that relationships are starting to fray. There are also problems between US diplomats and soldiers and the Afghan president. Gates adds considerably to the previous coverage (Bob Woodward's Obama's Wars) through his first-person observations. He also names who he believes to be Woodward's sources within the White House staff in an effort to explain the perspectives found in Woodward's account.

Chapter Eleven (Difficult Friends, Difficult Foes) deals primarily with issues surrounding Iran, Israel, Russia, Vietnam, Bolivia, Pakistan, Korea (North and South), Wikileaks, and China during the 2009 - 2010 timeframe. He also reveals a disquieting session in the White House immediately following the earthquake in Haiti in which mid-level White House staffers question the competence of the SOUTHCOM commanding general because the US military apparently cannot get a tremendous amount of aid to that stricken nation within a reasonable period of time. Ironically, the very scale of US military assistance prompted the French and Brazilians to complain about the United States acting like an occupying power.

Chapter Twelve (Meanwhile, Back in Washington) discusses the disappointments experienced by Gates during this period. He observes that, "After the assurances from the president and Rahm (Emanuel) that they would oppose congressional action before the [Don't Ask, Don't Tell] review was completed, I felt there had been a breach of faith by the White House." Disappointment surfaces again during the FY budget development cycle. The chapter, however, does not concentrate exclusively on these events. Gates also discusses how once again he has to energize the DOD bureaucracy when the services and OSD fail to keep pace with enemy IED developments in Afghanistan.

The first half of Chapter Thirteen (War, War, and Revolution........) seemed, oddly enough, somewhat anti-climactic. It covers the removal of the US Ambassador to Afghanistan - Karl Eikenberry and the relief of General Stanley McChrystal, ISAF commanding general, but in a way that seemed familiar. It was one of the few sections where I did not find myself repeatedly thinking "I didn't know that!" The second half of the chapter, which deals with the revolutions in Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, etc. evoked diametrically opposite reactions as I eagerly absorbed a great deal of detailed information about those landmark events. During the discussion prior to our Libyan intervention, you learn that stereotypes are made to be broken as the military chiefs and Gates initially argue against using airpower to assist the Libyan rebels while staffers and advisors with academic or political backgrounds push for the use of military force. Unlike Afghanistan, it does not take long for President Obama to come to a decision.

Chapter Fourteen is where I am going to wind up my chapter summary. It covers the last months of Gates' tenure, focusing on his final trips to Russia (where he had a much better reception than in 2007, although the Russians were concerned about American involvement in aiding the Libyan revolutionaries - which blew back in our faces in Syria where the Russians counseled against our involvement), to China, Israel and Saudi Arabia. The world tour accounts segues into a discussion of military and defense succession covering the changing of the guard within DoD (Panetta replaces Gates), CIA (Petraeus replaces Panetta), ISAF (Allen replaces Petraeus), Afghan ambassador (Crocker replaces Eikenberry) and CJCS (Marty Dempsey replace Mullen). Gates' account of the Bin Laden Raid follows next. After initially coming out against a direct action strike, Gates was persuaded to support the raid. Within an hour after Gates informed Obama of his change of heart, the President approved the operation. The chapter ends with another discussion of bruising budget battles and his final trips to Iraq and Afghanistan.

I found the book fascinating, informative, and plausible. That said, I would plead guilty to allowing my having read Donald Rumsfeld's memoir to influence my five star rating for Gates' much more candid account.

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Hawkeye
Duty, Don’t Ask, Do Tell!
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2014
Verified Purchase
Having served under Secretary Gates predecessors of Cohen and Rumsfeld I never experienced his leadership example personally due to my retirement. I have always had a negative bias toward Robert Gates as a weasel and “yes man” and this memoir coming out at this time somewhat confirms my feeling to his character. It would have been much more effective if he “went on the record” vocalizing or publishing this material while in office as some have done. He had nothing to lose, unless…..

Robert Gates initially appeared to me as a civilian who either voluntary or involuntary skipped military service to his country then came to an epiphany that the citizen soldiers were worth considering. At least he came to this conclusion where many others in the Obama Administration have not. I always thought him ambivalent about decision making and took the consensus road.

On reading the book I found it equally divided between his time with the Bush then the Obama Administrations. If I learned anything in the first part of the book, it is how George Bush was determined and focused on his own efforts to keep victory in Iraq. I obtained great insight, though Robert Gates eyes as SECDEF, into George W, Bush’s strong character which correlates with his creation of” Decision Points.”
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Contrarily to my initial opinion, Robert Gates as SECDEF appears to be more of a negotiator and mediator than a leader of a 700 billion dollar/year enterprise. I learned through the book he was a Second Lieutenant 1967-69 in USAF in SAC and understands the military somewhat.

I appreciate his time and service as SECDEF, but he spent much time worrying about military members, micromanaging, and seemed to shun his main responsibilities. If he manages his immediate civilian and commander subordinates, then the military member will be taken care of. He shirked his responsibility with the “2008 Bent Spear Event” with the B-52 sortie from Minot AFB to Barksdale AFB August 30, 2007 where six live nuclear warheads were flown in error. An example of the latter is the firing of SECUSAF Wynne and USAF Chief Moseley. He left it to someone else! That is his responsibility to fire these individuals for they work directly for him! Then to go to Mosley’s retirement? Duaaaaaaa? Then he went to Langley AFB, Combat Command, and he states he was well received and then to Scott AFB, Military Airlift Command and received more elation. Those are both competitive major air commands within the USAF. Why did he not go to Global Strike Command (The offending command)? That is the system that had the “Bent Spear Event!” This is weasel-esque.

In the second portion of the book it is very interesting to peer into the new administration from his point of view with his value sets and experience versus new appointees lack of awareness of the world and national corporate history. The Obama Administration appears to have had the most inexperienced foreign policy staffers meddling in serious issues like Turkey and Armenia without knowing the caustic history between the two. Gates appears to be a father figure to Barak Obama in the fact he is 28 years older and it appears the President takes his advice readily and easily according to him. In this tour with this administration he appears a more mature SECDEF. He changes course early in the Obama Administration to micromanage the budget process for acquisition instead of the entire DOD in the previous 2 years. Gates provides a very favorable appraisal of Obama making decisions regarding DOD, drawn down in Iraq, surge in Afghanistan, and relationships with military personnel which I did not expect. Probably because Obama was his boss. He was not that generous to Biden where he felt he possessed competency, credibility, and integrity issues. His impressions of his entire stent at the DOD helm was that “Politics overriding national interests,” especially with the latter administration.

It appears this work is a well-documented, methodical and encompassing diary as to his real intensions of accepting this position all along. I feel the book is well written an understandable in my vernacular. He approaches much from a historical perspective due to the fact he is a trained historian. After this read I have much more respect for Robert Gates and his contributions to our defense over his tenure. I now have great compassion for his predicament as SECDEF. His written message is easily comprehendible to me and other military people. His proven and verified advocacy for the military member turns me to his side. However, I felt he overdoes it in his worrying about uniform DOD members. That is what colonels and generals deal with! Not the SECDEF! Do your job and, not theirs! Gates through his words appeared to be very instrumental; in the rapid acquisition of MRVPs. ISR, and on fighting the VA on behalf of wounded warriors…. Let us see if this advocacy continues in his civilian position.

Finally, his continuous criticism of Biden and his contrary positive view of Hillary Clinton appear to be an orchestrated opening statement to the 2016 presidential election. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, could this be?

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A. Volk
Thorough, balanced, and interesting memoirs
Reviewed in Canada on January 28, 2014
Verified Purchase

I must confess that I knew little about Robert Gates before I bought this book. But I was quite keen to read the memoirs of someone who helped oversee the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan while serving under two different presidents. Gates was brought on board by Bush 43 to help turn around the war in Iraq as it was beginning to bog down with casualties and no clear end in sight. Gates was a university president at the time, but had a long history of working with the government, including serving with Bush 41 (and Reagan, Carter, Ford) and serving as head of the CIA. So he was no neophyte to Washington, politics, or national issues. He immediately went to work supporting the idea of a surge that proved to be successful. Calling himself the "soldier's secretary", he was motivated by a deep need to protect the troops whose combat orders he signed.

The book goes into significant detail about both wars, largely at the strategic level (tactical information largely is restricted to efforts to help protect the troops). He outlines the decision process, the people involved, the countries involved, and the bureaucracies involved. As a non-registered Republican, Gates comes off as very even-handed. He paints Bush in a slightly more positive light than Obama, which I was going to refute with a claim that Bush was an experienced president in the final lap of his second term while Obama was a new president who would have to seek re-election in four years. But Gates notes that himself. He characterizes Bush 43 as a man of decisive action, who was less concerned with political issues than with what he thought was right. He was fair and personable to Gates, although their relationship never went beyond a professional one. These same things can be said about Obama, other than his greater weighing of political costs and benefits and greater influence of White House staff. Without giving away the content of the book, it's pretty remarkable how similar Obama and Bush appear through Gates' eyes. To be sure, they were very different people and Gates notes that often enough. But at the bottom line, beyond their opposing political views, both were professionals who appeared to be very competent to Gates.

There are a lot of other people beyond presidents mentioned in the book. Gates is very positive about Condi Rice and Hillary Clinton. Again, two different personalities and political positions, but two very competent Secretaries of State who both worked well with Gates. In fact, the information about Hillary is so positive I think this book would be a real boost for her should she run for president. Even for right-leaning readers, Gates claims that Hillary taught him not to judge a book by its cover, or media reputation. Biden and Cheney both get a lot of ink. Both were extremists within their governments. Cheney was an extreme war hawk, Biden an extreme peace dove. Foreign leaders get some coverage, as do many other people in the upper levels of Washington politics. And certainly, the generals and admirals get a lot of attention. Almost all of it is positive, although comments about their lapses in media judgment are noted. In general, Gates got along with most of the people he worked with, but he doesn't shy away from describing difficult situations or people, nor does he shy away from talking about the people he ended up firing. So this isn't a feel-good book where he's kind to everyone. Everyone takes a shot here and there, but it really seems that Gates generally tried to get along with most people and most of them tried the same in return (which is actually fairly shocking in politics!).

All in all, I found it to be a very fascinating and (as far as I can tell) very honest look behind the curtains of power. Gates comes across as perhaps too sensible and thoughtful, or at least that's how it seemed to me. I could hardly fault or disagree with any of his decisions. If someone else does, at least the logic behind those decisions are clearly laid out, often with details of the political and/or military machinery that surrounded those decisions. Gates also deals with broader issues, such as problems with the Congress, or with the national media. Gates calls himself, above all, a realist, and I think he deserves that claim. He was both for and against war in different contexts, he served both presidents very well (Obama wanted him to stay on), and his motives seem to be largely apolitical and without career objectives. So as a person, I found him to be an interesting person to read about. As a topic, this book deserves to be read by a wide audience. Anyone interested in the personalities of the big players, the machinery of war and/or politics, the day-to-day challenges of being the Secretary of Defence, the history of US politics (going back almost 40 years), and plain human nature in general, is probably going to get something significant out of this book. At 600 pages it's definitely not a fast read. But it is well written, and for 600 pages of biographical history, it captured my attention from start to finish. With his added final thoughts and caveats at the end of the book addressing a lot of the questions I came up with throughout the book, I really don't have any reason to not give this book 5 stars. It's not the best biography I've ever read, but it certainly is a very good one that is sure to appeal to a broad audience on both sides of the political fence. Which, as Gates would point out, is a good thing. Solid five stars.

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T. Antonella
Great testimony!
Reviewed in Italy on March 16, 2014
Verified Purchase
If you want a realistic looking into the Obama administration you have to read these memoirs! Thank you Mr. Gates for giving us this unique opportunity.

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E. Schnell
Running the Pentagon under Bush and Obama
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 9, 2015
Verified Purchase
This audiobook has accompanied me on my way to work and is highly recommendable, as it delivers accounts on a number of aspects, such as serving under two administrations, running the biggest "account" in the US federal government in times of war and calamity and managing a political environment. The author gives a candid, reflective account with humour and passion, and the production is well read, well informed by his previous experience in Washington and at Texas A&M. The only thing missing are beginning and end statements on each of the 20 disks, but that is a manageable flaw.

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Arjun Iyer
Duty towards nation, citizens, better future
Reviewed in India on October 18, 2016
Verified Purchase
I bought this book to understand how leaders take stride when facing adversity or crisis. No bigger crisis in the face of the earth than powerful countries waging war on terror and lives across battlelines are at stake.

I find the insights very helpful. Its written in casual and yet thoughtful language. I would recommend this book to everyone who is interested in world politics, economies of war etc.

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R. Douglas Evans
A really insightful book on the Pentagon.
Reviewed in Australia on October 2, 2014
Verified Purchase
A fabulous insight into the worlds largest bureaucracy. Well written with no holds barred. Robert Gates is a great American.

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Enjoying the book. Demonstrates the division and confusion within the government.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A Review of "Duty" by Robert M. Gates

4.0 out of 5 stars Duty, Don’t Ask, Do Tell!

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough, balanced, and interesting memoirs

5.0 out of 5 stars Great testimony!

5.0 out of 5 stars Running the Pentagon under Bush and Obama

5.0 out of 5 stars Duty towards nation, citizens, better future

5.0 out of 5 stars A really insightful book on the Pentagon.

A Review of "Duty" by Robert M. Gates

Duty, Don’t Ask, Do Tell!

Thorough, balanced, and interesting memoirs

Great testimony!

Running the Pentagon under Bush and Obama

Duty towards nation, citizens, better future

A really insightful book on the Pentagon.