In the book, “Duty, Memoirs of a Secretary of State”, former Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates describes his experiences as Secretary of State while serving for two Presidential Administrations from 2006-2011. This Paper will analyze former Secretary of Defense, Robert M. Gates, as a strategic leader in two specific areas: his ability to build consensus and unite the Military and Congress with a unifying strategic approach to the war in Iraq during his first year (2006-2007) under President George H. Bush and his approach to rebuilding the 2010 defense budget under President Obama. I contend that Sec. Gates was an influential strategic leader who demonstrated five dimensions of meta-leadership because he built established trust among
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His strategic approach and ability to influence was historical in many respects. In order to bring spending under control Sec Gates proposed to the Services to evaluate their Major Acquisition Programs and look for efficiencies. First, he emphasized to the Service Chiefs that they would not lose money across the board and the savings realized by cutting failing programs of record can be used to fund other programs. Sec Gates needed the support and buy-in of the Service Chiefs upfront so he included them in all planning and decisions. Second, Sec Gates did not want leaks of the budget to Congress, lobbyists or the media. Third, he wanted to brief the President and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) together so they would all be on board and speak with one voice. Fourth, he would release the details of the FY 2010 Budget to the media in its entirety. Releasing it in total would show the strategic investment strategy overall for the DoD. The historical precedence Sec Gates set in the FY 2010 Budget was to cut 33 Major Defense Acquisition …show more content…
He mastered the art of strategic leadership, knew how to make difficult decisions, rebuild bridges and established trust with the Military, Congress, and the American People. He immediately focused his staff and leaders on a clear priority, “Win in Iraq”. He endeared himself to his staff by establishing rules of engagements for meetings – wanted to hear descending opinions, and wanted transparent decision making that was inclusive. He earned the respect of the Warfighter and their families by removing bureaucratic processes and streamlining procurement and fielding of the MRAP to Iraq. He successfully eliminated over 30 Major Defense Acquisition programs that were draining needed resources in order to fund increases in military personnel and research for the Wounded Warriors. He successfully led as a strategic leader across multiple domains which enabled him to make a lasting strategic impact to our
His strategic approach and ability to influence was historical in many respects. In order to bring spending under control Sec Gates proposed to the Services to evaluate their Major Acquisition Programs and look for efficiencies. First, he emphasized to the Service Chiefs that they would not lose money across the board and the savings realized by cutting failing programs of record can be used to fund other programs. Sec Gates needed the support and buy-in of the Service Chiefs upfront so he included them in all planning and decisions. Second, Sec Gates did not want leaks of the budget to Congress, lobbyists or the media. Third, he wanted to brief the President and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) together so they would all be on board and speak with one voice. Fourth, he would release the details of the FY 2010 Budget to the media in its entirety. Releasing it in total would show the strategic investment strategy overall for the DoD. The historical precedence Sec Gates set in the FY 2010 Budget was to cut 33 Major Defense Acquisition …show more content…
He mastered the art of strategic leadership, knew how to make difficult decisions, rebuild bridges and established trust with the Military, Congress, and the American People. He immediately focused his staff and leaders on a clear priority, “Win in Iraq”. He endeared himself to his staff by establishing rules of engagements for meetings – wanted to hear descending opinions, and wanted transparent decision making that was inclusive. He earned the respect of the Warfighter and their families by removing bureaucratic processes and streamlining procurement and fielding of the MRAP to Iraq. He successfully eliminated over 30 Major Defense Acquisition programs that were draining needed resources in order to fund increases in military personnel and research for the Wounded Warriors. He successfully led as a strategic leader across multiple domains which enabled him to make a lasting strategic impact to our