Gates is confirmed. Now what?

Posted By Blake Hounshell Wednesday, December 6, 2006 - 7:22 PM Share

Bob Gates was just confirmed by the Senate as the next secretary of defense. The vote was 95-2 in favor; both nays were from Republicans.

Secretary Gates takes the helm at the Pentagon at an unenviable moment: spiraling violence in Iraq, a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan, and an overstretched U.S. military, not to mention nukes in Pyongyang and centrifuges in Tehran. So, what can we expect from Gates? In a new web exclusive, FP takes a look at how he'll run his $500 billion business.

EXPLORE:CHINA, IRAN, IRAQ, MILITARY, NORTH KOREA, TERRORISM

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