Gates seeks to change 'out of date' vision of military challenges

[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/POLITICS/02/01/us.pentagon.review/story.gates.uav.gi.jpg caption="Under Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the Pentagon is building up its fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles." width=300 height=169]

Mike Mount
CNN Senior Pentagon Producer

Preparing the U.S. military to fight two major conventional wars is "out of date" and does not reflect the numerous challenges U.S. military forces could face in the future, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday.

Gates made that pronouncement as he revealed the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review, the military's strategic outlook. He said the military needs to start planning for multiple operations such as major disasters in the United States and various scuffles around the planet.

"We now recognize that America's ability to deal with threats for years to come will depend importantly on our success in the current conflicts," Gates said, pointing out this is the first time the anti-insurgent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been included in a Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) as long-term planning priorities.

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