I had the privilege of hearing Robert Gates speak in Baltimore, and he was so eloquent and charismatic that I knew I wanted to read his book.

Unfortunately, where his speech was perfect and well edited, his book was equally forthright, and I felt very balanced - - but somehow the editing part was missing.
If you love politics, I definitely think this should be on your list. I just don't really love reading about politics and wars all that much. It would really have been interesting to discuss the book with someone else.

I found Gates' comparisons of Bush and Obama to be fascinating. Also, Gates' characterization of Obama did make me see Obama in a better, more positive light as he made some very tough decisions in foreign policy - - often taking stances against his own White House staff/advising team. It also somewhat reinforced a belief I have that the American people and even the Congress don't really understand all the factors that come into these military decisions so often the stances we take are misinformed.

Gates is likable as a narrator, and I sympathized with his plights, but he also repeats over and over again how much he cares about the troops. He did have some good proof points that illustrates that he DOES care about them, and he did many things to help them - - but you know, when it's your own memoir, it starts to sound like you are saying "I am so wonderful; look how much I care" over and over again. I think he was trying to show his motivations, but after awhile it got a little old.

All in all, I would recommend this book if you:
1) Like reading about politics
2) Really want to know what happened in Iraq and Afghanistan
3) Enjoy hearing the inside scoop from people who were actually THERE - - and Gates most certainly was

For me, I'll admit I'd prefer to read a novel as a general rule, and because this was long winded and a bit of a slog, I only could give it 3 stars. ( )

Robert M. Gates. Who is Robert M. Gates? The successor to Donald Rumsfeld and a survivor of two Presidents, Bush and subsequently Obama. Robert Gates was a prolific career Washingtonian who rose to prominence through his tenure at the CIA and served as the 22nd US Secretary of War. No mean feat when you also take account into the fact that he also served in the public educational intrust as President at Texas A&M University before being recalled to serve his country as the chief coordinator of the American war effort in the War on Terror.

'Duty' is his autobiographical reminiscence and also an unofficial white paper on his tenure as Secretary. It is remarkable for its military-political insight as well as its no-holds barred exposition of the American military's foresight weaknesses. In enumerating the failures of his colleagues and subordinates, Gates also expresses a strong disciplinarian streak which he exemplified in the amount of sackings he carried out while in power.

The book's downfall is its author's own myopia. We are treated to a Gates who seems divorced from the day-to-day mechanisms of his job and who is entirely reliant on his underlings to perform tasks for him. All fine and well on paper, but in reality a meticulous task reserved for Secretaries of War. In attempting to exonerate himself, Gates unwittingly portrays his tenure as that of an unremarkable man battling against circumstances rather than a figurehead in charge.

Contrary to established precedent for such books, he avoids heavy jargon though the odd sophisticated euphemism lands here and there. What is the ultimate worth of his autobiography? That of a personalized history from a frontliner and not an impartial rendering of events as they transpired. 'Duty' is no chronicle but an argument for exoneration.

Nonetheless, overall its a very intriguing piece of literature which affords much in the way of subtle leadership lessons. ( )

After 69 terrible days,and finally turning to the speed-reader's trick of a moving horizontal ruler, I finished the horribly edited (or perhaps written) 'Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War.' This almost 600-paged book could have easily been 150 to 200 pages less. If I wasn't autistic I would not have felt the need to finish it. What compounded the horror is that after trudging through 565 pages and 14 Chapters, the last Chapter is titled 'Reflections' where he basically sums up what he wrote in the prior 500-plus pages. Unbelievable. ( )

5759. Duty Memoirs of a Secretary at War, by Robert M. Gates (read 12 Oct 2021) The author was Defense Secretary from 18 Dec 2006 till 1 July 2011, replacing Rumsfeld after the 2006 elections and remaining in office till 1 July 2011 He has mostly good things to say about George W. Bush and does not condemn the invasion of Iraq in 2003 as many (and I) do. He also says only good things about Obama--and Hillary--but since Biden disapproved of the surge in Afghanistan he says nothing good about Biden during the time Gates was in office, Gates's position being that the surge would enable success in Afghanistan. Gates's account of his years as Defense Secretary is detailed and usually of much interest, one being amazed at what a job being Defense Secretary is--and convincing me it is a job I would never want to have. Gates does a good job convincing me he was indeed an able Secretary. I suppose one should have read this book in 2014 but in view of the events of 2021 it was vey timely reading now. Gates I presume was surprised at the collapse of the government (in Afghanistan) we spent so much time and money on for 20 years and that it could not last even a month after we left.

gates was

aphganistan ( )

I read this book a little late, and it turned out to be the exact week that Afghanistan fell to the Taliban (in August 2021). Throughout the book, Gates rants against Biden for not believing there could be a good result in the war there and for not supporting the military strategy enough. Well, now Biden is cast as being the one who lost Afghanistan (not by everyone, of course) when the result was pretty much as Biden predicted. Gates comes off as an admirable and competent Defense Secretary who cares about the troops, but in view of the Taliban takeover, it's difficult in 2021 to read this book about good intentions and hard work and feel optimistic about the future, especially when the next Defense Secretary may not be as smart and even-handed as this guy. ( )