NATO allies find Gates easier handful than Rumsfeld
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Defense Secretary Robert Gates  plunged into NATO diplomacy at his first alliance meeting this  week and some European allies pronounced him easier to deal  with than his bristly predecessor, Donald Rumsfeld.
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Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is checking up on promises for continued support in the war in Afghanistan by checking in with NATO defense leaders in southeastern Europe.
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NATO leaders reported progress on Tuesday in freeing up more troops to fight Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, signaling that some nations had agreed to drop limits on their forces just before an alliance summit.
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Taliban opposition to NATO forces in   Afghanistan is far tougher than was expected when alliance   troops were initially deployed, British Defense Minister Des   Browne said on Tuesday.
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KIEV, Ukraine, Oct. 22 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates criticized European members of NATO on Monday for failing to provide the extra troops that their governments promised last year for security duties in Afghanistan.
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Taliban opposition to NATO forces in  Afghanistan is far tougher than was expected when alliance  troops were initially deployed, British Defense Minister Des  Browne said on Tuesday.
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MUNICH, Germany  - Defense Secretary Robert Gates told Europe on Sunday it must boost defense spending and commit more troops and money to Afghanistan if NATO is to remain a potent military alliance.
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Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday pushed European allies for more troops to re-energize efforts in southern Afghanistan, where the Taliban insurgency has increased its attacks in the 18 months since NATO took command of the war.
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Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld  will lobby NATO allies at a meeting in France this week to chip  in more to help train Iraqi security forces, a U.S. official  said on Monday.
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RIGA, Latvia -- In a show of solidarity, NATO leaders agreed yesterday to come to one another's aid in emergencies anywhere in Afghanistan, but their summit did not muster significant reinforcements for operations in Taliban strongholds.
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Defense secretary issues blunt assessment of NATO's shortcomings in prosecution of war.
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Robert M. Gates is finding Donald H. Rumsfeld an easy act to follow, as the new defense secretary wins hearts and minds throughout Washington and overseas.
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Defense Secretary Robert Gates, in his first speech as Pentagon chief, made an urgent call Sunday for NATO allies to live up to their promises to supply military and economic aid for Afghanistan, saying that failing to do so would be shameful.
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Some of America's closest NATO allies reacted with surprise and disbelief Wednesday to reported comments from U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates suggesting that their troops fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan are not up to the job.
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No longer threatened by the Soviets, NATO is now a global force. But Afghanistan shows that the enlarged alliance is not comfortable in its new role
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Allies must cooperate, while respecting and understanding one another's points of view in the interest of their collective security, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said.
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Exclusive: For the second time, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is transferring a top-level commander rather than promoting a younger leader--raising eyebrows among military leaders