U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, right, remarks on the beauty of the Alaska Range mountains to U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates Monday, June 1, 2009, during a tour of the U.S. Army base Fort Greely. Fort Greely is located about 110 miles south of Fairbanks near Delta Junction, Alaska. AP Photo logo AP Photo 6 months ago

U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, right, remarks on the beauty of the Alaska Range mountains to U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates Monday, June 1, 2009, during a tour of the U.S. Army base Fort Greely. Fort Greely is located about 110 miles south of Fairbanks near Delta Junction, Alaska.

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  1. Sen. Michael Bennett, D-Colo., speaks at a Health Care news conference, as other Freshmen Democratic Senators, from left, Sen. Mark Begich, D-Ark., Sen. Tom Pryor, D-N.M., Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., Sen. Kay Hagen,D-N.C., and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009.
  2. Sens. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., left, Al Franken, D-Minn., Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., Mark Begich, D-Alaska, Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., are all smiles during a news conference on health care legislation on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009.
  3. Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., second left, with Sens. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., Tom Harkin, D-Iowa., Mark Begich, D-Alaska, attend a news conference about the Democratic health care bill on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009, in Washington.
  4. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, left, and his South Korean counterpart Kim Tae-young participate in a joint news conference at South Korea's defense ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. Gates said Thursday that North Korea continues to pose a grave threat to international peace and pledged to protect South Korea with Washington's full military might, including its nuclear capabilities.
  5. Protesters holding portraits of U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, left, and his South Korean counterpart Kim Tae-young shout a slogan during a rally against the Security Consultative Meeting, or SCM, between the U.S. and South Korea in front of the Defense Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. Gates said Wednesday the United States will never accept a North Korea with atomic bombs, saying the communist regime poses threats "even more lethal and destabilizing."
  6. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates (R) shakes hands with his South Korean counterpart Kim Tae-young during Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) at the Defense Ministry in Seoul October 22, 2009. Gates said on Thursday that North Korea poses a threat to his country's allies in North Asia and promised to protect them under the U.S. nuclear deterrent.
  7. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, left, shakes hands with his South Korean counterpart Kim Tae-young during Security Consultative Meeting or SCM at the Defense Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. Gates said Wednesday the United States will never accept a North Korea with atomic bombs, saying the communist regime poses threats "even more lethal and destabilizing."
  8. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, left, arrives to sign the guest book before meeting South Korean Prime Minister Chung Un-chan as U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Kathleen Stephens looks on at the Government Complex in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009. Gates said Wednesday the United States will never accept a North Korea with atomic bombs, saying the communist regime poses threats "even more lethal and destabilizing" than before.
  9. U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (L) talks with Japan's Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada at the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo October 20, 2009. The United States wants to stick to a deal on realigning U.S. troops in Japan, Defense Secretary Gates said on Tuesday, giving Japan's new government little room to move on an issue that could test ties.
  10. U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (R) shakes hands with Japan's Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada at the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo October 20, 2009. The United States wants to stick to a deal on realigning U.S. troops in Japan, Defense Secretary Gates said on Tuesday, giving Japan's new government little room to move on an issue that could test ties.
  11. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, left, is seen with Adm. Robert Willard, center, the new head of the U.S. Pacific Command, and Adm. Michael Mullen, right, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during a ceremony at Pacific Command headquarters at Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii, Monday, Oct. 19, 2009. A fighter pilot who made a cameo appearance as a Tom Cruise foe in "Top Gun" has taken over as the top U.S. military commander in Asia and the Pacific. Willard assumed control of the U.S. Pacific Command in a ceremony presided over by Defense Secretary Gates, who stopped in Hawaii en route to meetings in Japan and South Korea.

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