Gates Shares Views on Guard’s Role in Iraq, Afghanistan
Gates Shares Views on Guard’s Role in Iraq, Afghanistan
By Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke
Special to American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2009 – Though the National Guard has a role in reconstruction missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, it’s a temporary one, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told an audience at the Joint Senior Leadership Conference at the National Harbor yesterday.
Left to right: Army Col. Eric Grimm, commander of the California Army National Guard’s 40th Infantry Division agribusiness development team; Pedro Torres, a U.S. Agriculture Department representative; Army Sgt. Jeff Johanson, team leader for the agribusiness team; and Ted Wittenberger, U.S. Agency for International Development senior civilian representative, speak with Gulrahaman, chief of police, in Asmar, Afghanistan, Nov. 19, 2009. The same day, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told National Guard leaders such initiatives are an important role for the Guard. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Brian Boisvert
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