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Summary When Defence Secretary Robert Gates worries about aging out, he's not referring to his retirement.
Gates talks about a generational expiration date on Americas embrace of Europe as a pillar of its defence strategy.According to him, younger Americans feel less of a bond with NATO, which was created after World War II.Gates made a splash with a scathing speech last week in Brussels in which he said that NATO faces a dim, if not dismal future.He was not disowning NATO but warning that a gradual fraying of trans-Atlantic ties could eventually break the bond.In an interview this week, he called it a troubled marriage.Gates retires June 30. His designated successor at the Pentagon, Leon Panetta, has been less explicit about his views on NATOs future.
