Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has only a few months left on the job, but he’s doing his best to make a mark. The Washington Post’s Josh White obtains a National Defense Strategy memo Gates wrote last month that lays out a comprehensive plan for the Pentagon. Paramount is the need to marshal resources around the war against "violent extremism" beyond fighting insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The memo sounds consistent with previous comments Gates has made about training the military to fight more Iraq-style wars. It also sounds like a slight dig to multibillion-dollar Cold War weapons systems that the Pentagon keeps paying Boeing, et. al to churn out.

The biggest impact the memo might have may simply be the fate of its author. Is Gates, who has won bipartisan praise, positioning to serve in the McCain– or Obama administration?-MB

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