Word: pentagonals
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...battle has actually been under way for several weeks, as Afghan and Western forces have announced their plans to the local population while moving into position. Pentagon officials say this unusually public "shaping" of the battlefield has one key goal: while hundreds of hard-core Taliban are hunkering down for a fight, many more, along with thousands of residents, have fled Marja until the dust settles. That should limit civilian casualties and, they hope, lure some lukewarm Taliban over to the government side. "We're not interested in how many Taliban we kill," Army General Stanley McChrystal...
What is the end of all that dexterity? Is there a Gates vision or doctrine? Or is the end the master he serves, the duty of service, like the Eagle Scout he was? When I put this question to him, he talked about the consistent focus on reforming the Pentagon's way of thinking about war and seeing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through...
...reminded of the power of the Pentagon corporation last fall when I followed Gates on his visit to the modern-day riveters of Oshkosh, Wis. We went to a factory where they were manufacturing off-road vehicles that could withstand the Afghan Taliban's powerful new IEDs. The workers were heavyset, rough-hewn men and women in unlaced boots, jeans, flannel shirts and goggles. Gates' patriotic speech moved them. One woman told me that whenever she didn't feel like doing her job tightening those screws, she reminded herself that she would be saving the life of Johnny from next...
...steward of that Pentagon machine, Gates does not like to lose the narrative or flow of information. Leaks irritate him almost as much as bad performances. But his desire to place some limits on what the public sees has put him at odds with some of this Administration's political supporters, who say Obama campaigned on promises to change the culture of secrecy that marked the Bush years. Many of Obama's liberal supporters were flabbergasted when Obama, through Gates, reversed the decision last year to release photographs from the Abu Ghraib scandal as well as cases of military abuse...
...original version of this article incorrectly stated that in the last days of the Bush presidency Defense Secretary Robert Gates was planning to return to Texas. At the time, Gates was only making plans to leave the Pentagon...