In the course of doing everything I could to turn things around first in Iraq, then in Afghanistan, from the early months I ran up against institutional obstacles in the Pentagon--cultural, procedural, ideological--to getting done what needed to get done on behalf of those fighting the wars we are in.

The United States' most important Asian ally--Japan--proved a difficult relationship to manage during Robert Gates' tenure. While not resolving many outstanding issues in US-Japan relations, Gates did manage to keep ties on track and focused on constructive engagement.

Bob Gates is a good man who did a thankless job with grace and skill. But when our military needed a loud and firm advocate, he let Obama offer us, instead, a bleak future of shrinking American power.His successors need to correct course and take a bold stand to keep us strong as well as safe.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates leaves office this month as widely respected as any public figure in America today, appreciated for his willingness to return to public service at a moment of high danger in Iraq and to faithfully serve presidents of both parties.

At AEI on May 24, Secretary Gates will deliver one of his last Washington addresses as secretary of defense.

The nine men who run China tested the J20 during Gate's visit because they knew they could get away with it: Washington would not want anything to get in the way of the upcoming summit.

There is significant disagreement about the effectiveness of the Obama administration's proposed export control reforms, which casts doubt on whether substantive reform can be achieved in the proposed one-year time frame.