Robert Gates , our current Secretary of Defense, held the same job under George W. Bush. Why did Obama keep him on? Read Gates’ article, “A Balanced Strategy: Reprogramming the Pentagon for a New Age” in a recent issue of Foreign Affairs and you will understand the reason. Here is the key passage:
What is dubbed the war on terror is, in grim reality, a prolonged, worldwide irregular campaign — a struggle between the forces of violent extremism and those of moderation. Direct military force will continue to play a role in the long-term effort against terrorists and other extremists. But over the long term, the United States cannot kill or capture its way to victory. Where possible, what the military calls kinetic operations should be subordinated to measures aimed at promoting better governance, economic programs that spur development, and efforts to address the grievances among the discontented, from whom the terrorists recruit. It will take the patient accumulation of quiet successes over a long time to discredit and defeat extremist movements and their ideologies.