Gates' First Take

By Thomas Duffy / April 21, 2011 at 7:19 PM

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is meeting with the press right now and he has spoken for the first time about the sweeping national security review President Obama called for last week in a speech on deficit reduction.

Gates said the "worst possibility" would be "to give all of DOD a haircut."

The review has to be driven by analysis about the risk management of future national security challenges, Gates said. He later added that the review cannot be "a math exercise."

"The easy thing would be a broad percentage cut," he said.

In his speech, Obama said he is looking to cut $400 billion from the nation's national security spending. Gates said today that that figure is "a target."

64400