Post Description

On June 30th Dr. Robert M. Gates, Secretary of Defense, will leave office. And if confirmed by the Senate, CIA Director Leon Panetta will assume the position as the 23rd Secretary of Defense. Although we've known for some time that Secretary Gates wanted to retire this year, we've all put off our speculation regarding what will happen after he leaves office until we find out who may replace him. Now that the speculation is over, everyone with an opinion will start voicing theirs regarding what will happen to the military and the military budget. At a minimum, trying to guess what personal spin soon-to-be SecDef Leon Panetta will put on the marching orders from the President requires a review of the employment decisions he has made through his life. Since SecDef Gates and Director Panetta both served the current President, and both men also served in the CIA, it may be interesting to do a comparison of their service to the country and see if any assumptions can be made. In the mid-sixties both men served as officers in the military-Dr. Gates in the Air Force and Mr. Panetta in the Army. After leaving the military the two men went down different paths. Mr. Panetta started in politics as a legislative assistant to Senator Tomas Kuchel of California, and Dr. Gates continued the CIA affiliation started in the Air Force.