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![Gates has reportedly agreed to stay on as defence chief in Obama's cabinet [AFP]](http://mwcnews.net/images/stories/US-Forces/1/2/3/4/5/6/Gates-agreed.jpg "Gates has reportedly agreed to stay on as defence chief in Obama's cabinet [AFP]") | | Gates has reportedly agreed to stay on as defence chief in Obama's cabinet [AFP] |
Barack Obama, the US president-elect, has chosen to retain the services of Robert Gates as defence secretary and picked retired General James Jones to be his national security adviser, according to US media reports.
Gates, who has served as defence chief to George Bush, the outgoing president, since 2006, has agreed to stay in his post, according to political website Politico. He will probably remain in Obama's cabinet for a year, an official familiar with discussions between the two men told The Associated Press. Gates, a former CIA director with long-standing ties to Republican administrations and the Bush family, would fulfil an Obama pledge to include a Republican in his cabinet. A Democratic official said Jones, the former marine commandant and commander of US and Nato forces in Europe, was Obama's pick to head the National Security Council. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity and it was unclear if Jones had accepted the job. Politico also reported that retired Admiral Dennis Blair, the former commander of the US Pacific Command and a veteran of the NSC, CIA and Joint Chiefs of Staff, is expected to be named the director of national intelligence. Obama is expected to formally announce their appointments next week.
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Tags: defence chief Robert Gates
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