Robert Gates in Afghanistan

In the Zone
When Obama asked Gates to continue in the post of Defense Secretary (after taking over in 2006 for Donald Rumsfeld, many suggested that he wouldn't last long in the job. Instead, he has pushed through numerous critical changes at the Pentagon and accumulated an extraordinary amount of influence at the White House, making him, in the opinion of some observers, the most powerful Defense Secretary since World War II.

• The War in Afghanistan Up Close