Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
CNN
June 9, 2008 The Situation Room (CNN), 5:00 PM
WOLF BLITZER: Meanwhile, there's been a major change over at the pentagon where Defense Secretary Robert Gates now is saying he's going to stop planned cuts in the size of the Air Force. Our senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre filed this report only moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JAMIE MCINTYRE: Defense Secretary Gates said he's going to visit the three most important Air Force bases personally to explain his decision to remove the top Air Force leadership and replace them almost as quickly.
His first stop? Here at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia where he told airmen that he knew his decision might not be popular with some of them, or perhaps with all of them. But Gates said he felt it was important to make it clear that it was the findings of a report into the handling of nuclear weapons that showed systemic problems and weaknesses that forced him to make the change.
DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT GATES: I concluded that decisive action was required because, one, the focus of the Air Force leadership has drifted with respect to perhaps its most sensitive mission. Two, performance standards in that sensitive area were allowed to degrade. Three, the Air Force's stewardship and oversight of this vital mission did not identify these problems for correction. And, four, the Air Force's investigation into what went wrong did not get to root causes requiring my personal intervention.
MCINTYRE: He announced he would be replacing the Air Force secretary with Michael Donnelly, a trusted administrator who served in the Air Force before and the newAir Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz, again, someone he had great confidence in. In order to boost morale he made a surprise announcement. That he intends immediately to stop reductions in Air Force personnel. The immediate halt would save at least 6,000 jobs in the Air Force, something that would be a big boost to morale. From here Gates goes on to two more Air Force bases where he'll make a similar case face to face. He also took time to answer questions in private from the airmen. At that point the press was ushered out of the room.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. (END VIDEOTAPE)
June 9, 2008 The Situation Room (CNN), 5:00 PM
WOLF BLITZER: Meanwhile, there's been a major change over at the pentagon where Defense Secretary Robert Gates now is saying he's going to stop planned cuts in the size of the Air Force. Our senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre filed this report only moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JAMIE MCINTYRE: Defense Secretary Gates said he's going to visit the three most important Air Force bases personally to explain his decision to remove the top Air Force leadership and replace them almost as quickly.
His first stop? Here at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia where he told airmen that he knew his decision might not be popular with some of them, or perhaps with all of them. But Gates said he felt it was important to make it clear that it was the findings of a report into the handling of nuclear weapons that showed systemic problems and weaknesses that forced him to make the change.
DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT GATES: I concluded that decisive action was required because, one, the focus of the Air Force leadership has drifted with respect to perhaps its most sensitive mission. Two, performance standards in that sensitive area were allowed to degrade. Three, the Air Force's stewardship and oversight of this vital mission did not identify these problems for correction. And, four, the Air Force's investigation into what went wrong did not get to root causes requiring my personal intervention.
MCINTYRE: He announced he would be replacing the Air Force secretary with Michael Donnelly, a trusted administrator who served in the Air Force before and the newAir Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz, again, someone he had great confidence in. In order to boost morale he made a surprise announcement. That he intends immediately to stop reductions in Air Force personnel. The immediate halt would save at least 6,000 jobs in the Air Force, something that would be a big boost to morale. From here Gates goes on to two more Air Force bases where he'll make a similar case face to face. He also took time to answer questions in private from the airmen. At that point the press was ushered out of the room.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. (END VIDEOTAPE)