New Mission?

Will future Pentagon budgets under the Obama administration tilt toward the Army and Marine Corps?

In announcing this morning that Robert Gates will stay on as defense secretary, President-elect Barack Obama said that he plans to direct the Pentagon to focus on near-term challenges -- an objective that Gates has repeatedly advocated. Could this be a harbinger of renewed support for Army and Marine Corp priorities at the cost of capital-intensive needs of the Air Force and Navy?

As I said throughout the campaign, I will be giving Secretary Gates and our military a new mission as soon as I take office: responsibly ending the war in Iraq through a successful transition to Iraqi control. We will also ensure that we have the strategy -- and resources -- to succeed against al Qaeda and the Taliban. As Bob said not too long ago, Afghanistan is where the war on terror began, and it is where it must end. And going forward, we will continue to make the investments necessary to strengthen our military and increase our ground forces to defeat the threats of the 21st century.

In a brief statement, Gates said:

I am deeply honored that the president-elect has asked me to continue as secretary of defense. Mindful that we are engaged in two wars and face other serious challenges at home and around the world, and with a profound sense of personal responsibility to and for our men and women in uniform and their families, I must do my duty, as they do theirs. How could I do otherwise? Serving in this position for nearly two years -- and especially the opportunity to lead our brave and dedicated soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and defense civilians -- has been the most gratifying experience of my life. I am honored to continue to serve them and our country, and I will be honored to serve President-elect Obama.