US defense chief says sinking of ally’s ship does not reveal a weakness in US defenses

Gates: Ship sinking reveals no hole in US forces

SINGAPORE — U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the sinking of a South Korean warship doesn’t show gaps in the security that U.S. forces in the Pacific are supposed to provide for allies.

Gates says what the fatal sinking shows is simply that a surprise attack can be very effective.

Gates laid blame for the sinking squarely on North Korea. He told a conference of Asian defense chiefs that there must be consequences for what he called an unprovoked assault.

Gates warned the group that “for nothing to happen would be a very bad precedent.”