Robert Gates

Prior to his role as the Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates served for over a quarter century in the Central Intelligence Agency, and under President George H. W. Bush he was Director of the C.I.A. from 1991 to 1993. On Gates's last day in office in 2011, President Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor.

Prior to his role as the Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates served for over a quarter century in the Central Intelligence Agency, and under President George H. W. Bush he was Director of the C.I.A. from 1991 to 1993. On Gates's last day in office in 2011, President Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor. See less