Gates says he has no doubts about Afghan war strategy, despite questions raised by new book

Gates says he has no doubts about war strategy

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he has no doubt that the nation’s war strategy in Afghanistan is sound.

A new book by Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward alleges that President Barack Obama’s top advisers clashed on how to approach the Afghan war. Woodward suggests that, in the end, the U.S. exit plan pleased no one and was driven more by politics than national security.

Gates shrugged off the allegations in a press conference on Thursday, telling reporters that “conflict sells” but that relationships within the Obama administration were more “harmonious” than he had ever seen in his time in government.

When asked if he held any personal reservations about the war strategy, Gates said no. He said he wouldn’t sign the deployment orders if he didn’t believe the plan could work.