Media Availability with Secretary Gates Enroute to Oshkosh, Wisconsin [ http://links govdelivery com:80/track?type=click&enid=bWFpbGluZ2lkPTYzNTM4OCZtZXNzYWdlaWQ9UFJELUJVTC02MzUzODgmZGF0YWJhc2VpZD0xMDAxJnNlcmlhbD0xMjE1NjA3MDg2JmVtYWlsaWQ9bWlsaXRhcnlfcmVwb3J0c0BhdXMtY2l0eS5jb20mdXNlcmlkPW1pbGl0YXJ5X3JlcG9ydHNAYXVzLWNpdHkuY29tJmV4dHJhPSYmJg==&&&100&&&http://www defenselink mil/transcripts/transcript aspx?transcriptid=4510 ] "Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:04:00 -0600"

Presenter: Secretary of Defense Robert M Gates *November 12, 2009 *

Media Availability with Secretary Gates Enroute to Oshkosh, Wisconsin

           SEC
 GATES: We'll get on with this so we can get onto our health-food lunch
 



           By the way, I would note that it will be warmer in Oshkosh than it was in Washington
 



           The purpose of this trip is really a focus on the counter IED fight
 This has become a serious problem for us in Afghanistan
 More than 80 percent of our casualties are coming from IEDs
 It's a very different kind of challenge than in Iraq
 The terrain is different, the road system is different ? both paved and unpaved and nonexistent
 



 The composition of the IEDs is different to a considerable extent
 In Iraq they were mostly ? they've mostly based on artillery shells and so on
 And in Afghanistan, we find that a lot of them ? especially the bigger ones ? are made from fertilizer, like ammonium nitrate, with mines as detonators
 



 The networks are different -- structured differently in Afghanistan than in Iraq
 So it's a different kind of fight that we face here
 We need both an offensive and a defense capability
 The offensive capability is being able to take down the networks
 And just the big find of ammonium nitrate a few days ago, that's the kind of thing we're looking for ? and at the same time defense in terms of protecting our troops
 



          We have a lot of different elements at the Pentagon working on this issue ?obviously, the Joint IED Defense Organization
 We have a lot of different elements working on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
 We're obviously producing these MRAP all-terrain vehicles that we'll see today
 We're upgrading some earlier Cougar MRAPs with a new kind of suspension so that they can go off-road
 And the command is changing its own tactics, techniques and procedures
 



 And one of the things that I've asked for, for example, is the mujahadeen used these same kinds of IEDs in a different way ? in a different form against the Soviets
 So let's go back and look at the playbook that they used against the Soviets to see if there's something that we could learn in terms of adapting our tactics, techniques and procedures
 



 My concern ? principal concern over the last few weeks has been whether all of this is being properly integrated and prioritized and aligned and whether we're adaptable and agile enough
 And so I've decided that I need to focus my attention on this problem as one of my top priorities for say the next six months
 I'm creating a department-wide task force on the counter-IED threat in Afghanistan
 It'll be co-chaired by Dr
 Carter, the undersecretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics;

and Lieutenant General Jay Paxton, the J-3 of the Joint Staff

 And the whole purpose of this, really, is to make sure that we get the troops what they need to protect themselves, and also the tools to be more effective at taking down these networks
 



 Now, this MRAP-ATV is really another great example of partnership with industry
 This company in July produced 46 MRAP-ATVs
 They will produce about 660 this month and they will go to 1,000 next month
 And as I mentioned, we're also upgrading probably somewhere on the order of 600 or 700 Cougars that are used principally by the Marines
 



 Obviously, if the president makes a decision to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan, we would look at this in terms of whether we needed to buy more
 



 I will meet with the task force and expect a report from them monthly ? as I say, probably for about six months
 I just want to make sure that all of these different organizations in the department are moving together and cooperating ? breaking down the stovepipes so that we've got the maximum possible effort working with the command
 And I want the command ? General McChrystal and company ? to have a lot of say in this in terms of how we do this
 So that's one of the reasons for the

co-chairs of the task force to link it to the field

 So the main purpose for this trip is simply to come up and thank these folks for what they've done
 It's been an extraordinary effort on their part
 We're flying most of these in right now and the effort is to get them to the troops as quickly as possible
 



 Q    Can I ask you to follow up on that just a bit? What role did the IED situation in Afghanistan play in your deliberations in figuring out whether or not there should be an expansion of U
S
 force? Are you at all concerned that you, essentially, may be sending tens of thousands more into - 



 SEC
 GATES: It was not a significant factor
 



 Q    You said you might look at buying more of these particular vehicles if that ? 



 SEC
 GATES: If the president decides to send more troops, we would probably look at buying more than the 6,600
 



 Q    How many more? 



 SEC
 GATES: That would depend on how many ? nice try! That would depend on how many ? how many troops the president decides to send
 



 Q    Mr
 Secretary, there were reports yesterday that the president rejected all of these four options you talked about yesterday at the White House
 Is that how you understand it ? you were there ? or is it more that he was asking for revisions or asking questions about more options? 



 SEC
 GATES: I did not ? I'm not going to get into the details, but I would say that it was more: How can we combine some of the best features of several of the options to maximum good effect? So there is a little more work to do, but I think that we're getting toward the end of the process, as Robert Gibbs said the other day
 



 I would say one more thing, though: I've been at this business a long time
 And I have been appalled ? I realize this is not your self-interest to write ? I have been appalled by the amount of leaking that has been going on in this process
 And I think a lot of different places are leaking
 I'm confident that the Department of Defense is one of them
 



 To have details of options that are being considered out there in the middle of the president's deliberative process I think does not serve the country and does not serve our military
 And frankly, if I found out with high confidence anybody was leaking in the Department of Defense ? who that was ? that would probably be a career-ender, because it is contrary to every kind of discipline there ought to be in a decision-making process involving the president
 



 Q    Did you have any reaction to General Eikenberry's cables? 



 SEC
 GATES: No
 I'm not going to ? just as I'm not going to talk about my recommendations and the views that I've expressed, I'm not going to talk about anybody else's ? apropos see the last answer
 I don't want to fire myself by the end of the day
 (Laughter
) Although it's a thought! 



 Q    It's not leaking ? I mean, just, I mean, kind of, reaction to this cable saying ? 



 SEC
 GATES: I'm not going to give you a reaction
 



 Q    Just about a more general point: What about the debate about whether putting more troops in Afghanistan makes it easier ? (inaudible) ? easier to bring the U
S
 troops out? Or does this allow the Kabul government to hang back and not step up? (Inaudible
) 



 SEC
 GATES: Well, I think that's one of the issues
 How do we signal resolve, and at the same time signal to the Afghans ? as well as to the American people ? that this isn't an open-ended commitment
 



 Q    I have a question about Fort Hood: How could this happen with all the attention on mental health? What are you doing to make sure it doesn't happen again? 



 SEC
 GATES: Well, this is another one where, frankly, I'm kind of sore
 I mean, obviously, what happened at Fort Hood was horrific, as the president said
 



 But having different organizations and different people leaking information in a situation that involves potential criminal prosecution I think is unconscionable
 People are looking at it from their own narrow perspective
 And people better wait until all the information is in before we have an understanding of what happened and what might be done to be able to prevent such a thing from happening again
 



 But everybody out there with their own little piece of the action ? I think, first of all, I worry a lot that it has the potential to jeopardize a criminal investigation
 Everything will be made public and clear at an appropriate time
 I just don't want to jeopardize this investigation
 And people don't know ? people who are leaking don't know how their piece of the information might fit into that or affect it
 



 So my view is everybody ought to just shut up! 



 Q    If at the end of that process it turns out that the Army had information ? or that it existed elsewhere in the Defense Department that information that this fellow really may have been a mental health threat or terrorist threat, would you consider that a firing offense? 



 SEC
 GATES: Well, I'm not going to get into that as a hypothetical
 We'll wait and see what the circumstances are and what the facts are
 I just don't know what the facts are at this point
 



 MODERATOR: Anything on the counter-IED effort? 



 Q    In RC south, the effort to buy ammonium nitrate fertilizer has only been allocated $50,000
 Do you feel that's enough? 



 SEC
 GATES: Well, I'm open to anything that will take that stuff off the market
 It's illegal in Afghanistan, as I understand it, but it hasn't been enforced
 So my attitude would be to try and treat it like we do narcotics
 To the degree we could get it off the market, get it under control and capture as much of it ? and if we have to pay for some of it, I'm open to that
 



 You know, when one of these 1,500 pound IEDs goes under ? goes off under an MRAP and tears it in half, it tells you what these things can do
 So I'm open to anything that will help save the lives of our troops
 



 Q    On the M-ATVs, do you envision buying ? if you do buy another several hundred more of them, do you envision buying them all from Oshkosh or, what's your plan, will you open it up like you did with the MRAPs? 



 SEC
 GATES: I don't know
 We'll have to wait and see
 The first thing would be to decide whether we need to buy more


 



 Q    Mr
 Secretary, you said that this was another example ? Oshkosh ? of a successful industry-government partnership to get urgently needed equipment
 Can you cite another case that you consider as favorably ? as successful as this one? 



 SEC
 GATES: The original MRAPs
 



 Q    The original MRAPs? 



 SEC
 GATES: The original MRAP program was the first major Defense procurement program to go from concept to full-scale industrial production in less than a year since World War II
 



 Q    Mr
 Secretary, are you satisfied with the rate at which these vehicles are being finshed with the government-furnished equipment and then sent to Charleston to be sent overseas? 



 SEC
 GATES: As best I can tell
 I think they're doing as well as they possibly can
 



 Q    A couple of weeks ago, a representative from ? (inaudible) ? meeting with Task Force ? (inaudible) ? in Afghanistan in terms of getting ISR ? (inaudible)
 Do you think you are going fast enough ? (inaudible)? 



 SEC
 GATES: We're doing that
 It's supposed to be ? as I understand, it's supposed to be full-operating capacity next month
 



 So great idea! I think we'll do that
 



 Q    They kind of have to plan ? Oshkosh has to plan, obviously, their labor force going beyond next, roughly, May or June when they finish this round of orders
 How soon do you think you'll be able to give them an idea ? 



 SEC
 GATES: Probably pretty soon after the president makes a decision
 



 Q    (Inaudible) ?what some of these new, very large IEDs can do to an MRAP
 Is there any contradiction in your buying ? spending so much money and effort on smaller, lighter ones at a time when bombs are getting bigger? 



 SEC
 GATES: Well, they're not a lot lighter, they're just more maneuverable
 And I'm told they provide pretty much the same protection as the original MRAP for the troops
 They just have different capabilities
 And we've said from the very beginning: There is nothing ? whether it's an Abrams Tank or anything else ? that can defend our troops against everything
 



 But I think that MRAPs have been proven time and time again to save the lives and limbs of our soldiers and Marines
 And I think they're worth every dime the taxpayers are spending on them
 And I'm very grateful to the Congress, which has voted the money for these things ? both the original MRAPs and the MRAP-ATV ? with full support
 



 Q    Mr
 Secretary, you talked earlier about how you might need to ask for more MRAPs if more troops are sent to Afghanistan
 



 Has the White House asked for a cost estimate for all these various options? And how much is the potential cost of adding more ? (inaudible) ? factored into discussions? 



 SEC
 GATES: There have been cost estimates prepared, but I think the key thing is what's most important for our national security
 



 Q    Are you ? I wanted to go back when you said that one of the key issues is how do you signal resolve, that this isn't an open-ended commitment
 



 SEC
 GATES: Right
 How do you signal resolve and at the same time, signal that it isn't ? we're not going to be there forever
 



 Q    And do you think that the president was satisfied yesterday ? 



 SEC
 GATES: I think this is one of the issues that we've been talking about
 



 Q    And is there ? do you think there's a reasonable exit strategy in all the discussions under way now? 



 SEC
 GATES: Well, I think the first thing is to get it right in the first place
 And I think I'll just leave it at the ? at what I said about the difficulty of how you get that right, how you get that balance right
 



 MODERATOR: Any left on counter IED ? and then we're going to wrap it up
 



 Q    Yeah
 I have one, which is how do you compare and contrast the success of the efforts to obtain the MRAP, the MRAP-ATV with acquisition/procurement in general from major Defense contractors? 



 SEC
 GATES: Well, I think we've learned a lot from this
 And I think we're ? I mean, one of the things that Dr
 Carter is doing is making some fairly significant changes in the way we go about major acquisitions with a lot more emphasis on fixed pricing and on better contracts ? contracts that put performance awards in the right place in the process
 



 And I think, you know, you have to draw a distinction, in my view, between equipment that is on the cutting edge of technology and equipment that's basically using existing technologies in the way you do these contracts
 And I think the MRAPs and MRAP-ATVs fall into that latter category
 



 MODERATOR: Okay
 (Inaudible
) 



 SEC
 GATES: Okay
 Thanks
 



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Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:04:00 -0600

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