Defence Secretary Robert Gates urged the US military on Monday not to believe that technology can solve every problem and suggested quick-fix, low-tech solutions can sometimes be more valuable. The comments reflect Gates' vision of a US military that can adapt quickly to fight complex insurgencies, such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as being ready to take on conventional conflicts against nation states.
"Be modest about what military force can accomplish, and what technology can accomplish," Gates told US military officers at National Defence University in Washington. "Never neglect the psychological, cultural, political, and human dimensions of warfare, which is inevitably tragic, inefficient and uncertain," the former CIA director said.
"Be sceptical of systems analysis, computer models, game theories or doctrines that suggest otherwise." Gates' predecessor at the Pentagon, Donald Rumsfeld, offered a vision of US military transformation that stressed a high-tech, agile and flexible force. Gates shares some of those goals and he praised extraordinary advances in US military technology such as the development of precision weapons and pilotless aircraft.
But his warning about the limits of technology struck a different tone from Rumsfeld and reflected Gates' reputation as a pragmatist. Since taking office in late 2006, Gates has sought to cut through Pentagon bureaucracy to get equipment to troops quickly - particularly armoured vehicles to protect against roadside bombs and surveillance gear to track enemy forces.
He has also urged the United States to spend more on diplomacy and development to win allies around the world and has championed co-operation with academics such as sociologists to help the US military understand foreign cultures. As an example of how improvised solutions can sometimes be most valuable, Gates cited fitting surveillance gear to turboprop planes in Iraq to provide more intelligence information rather than waiting for new specialist aircraft.
"Our conventional modernisation programs seek a 99 percent solution in years," Gates said. "Stability and counterinsurgency missions - the wars we are in - require 75 percent solutions in months." Gates insisted he also backed the modernisation of big weapons systems for conventional warfare. But he said those programs already had plenty of supporters in the military, in industry and in Congress.
"I just want to make sure that the capabilities we need for the complex conflicts we're actually in and most likely to face in the foreseeable future also have strong institutional support and are sustained long-term," he said. Gates has limited time to realise his vision as the Bush administration leaves office in January. But a new government is bound to take his views into account, particularly as he enjoys respect among both Democrats and Republicans.
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