Believe it or not, I would agree with Gates, albeit with one HUMONGOUS caveat.
WHEN, not if, we send our young men and women to fight, we do it in the mode of WWII - Unconditional Surrender, Total War.
The United States can wage war far beyond our imagination. THe next time we go to war, FIGHT ALL OUT. Cause the enemy to give up IMMEDIATELY. Use EVERYTHING and EVERY TACTIC short of dropping nukes on populated places.
If we fought that way, we wouldn’t need but 6-7 Carrier Goups.