U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the current review of U.S. andNATO strategy in Afghanistan should remain private, and that the militarywill do whatever the president orders. But in a speech in WashingtonMonday, he also repeated his opposition to an approach advocated bysome officials that would rely more on air power.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates speaking on Afghanistan and Iraq at the Association of the United States Army 2009 Annual Meeting in Washington, 05 Oct 2009 Secretary Gates told a U.S.Army convention that Afghanistan has been on a "worrisome trajectory"with violence up 60 percent compared to last year. He said U.S. troopsfighting terrorism around the world are facing "increasinglybattle-hardened and lethal enemies."

The secretary told thegathering that the decisions President Barack Obama will make in thecoming weeks "will be among the most important of his presidency," andhe needs to take the time to get the decisions right.

WhiteHouse Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday the president is notconsidering a full troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. The addition of21,000 troops President Obama approved earlier this year, and moreaggressive operations against the Taliban and related groups, resultedin a sharp rise in U.S. casualties in recent months, including 16killed in the first few days of October. That's the same number killedin all of October last year.

Senior commanders have recommendedcontinuing the counterinsurgency approach, focusing on groundoperations and requiring a further increase of U.S. troops. ButSecretary Gates says whatever the president decides, the military willcomply.

"It is imperative thatall of us taking part in these deliberations, civilians and militaryalike, provide our best advice to the president candidly, butprivately. And, speaking for the Department of Defense, once thecommander-in-chief makes his decisions, we will salute and executethose decisions faithfully and to the best of our ability," Gates said.

Thesecretary has joined military commanders in criticizing proposals tomake more use of air strikes to target terrorist leaders inAfghanistan, and to limit ground operations in order to reducecasualties and avoid the need to send more troops. A month ago, Gatessaid one such proposal was not in accord with reality.

He didnot discuss specific options on Monday, but speaking about plans tofurther modernize U.S. Army capabilities, he said this:

"Wemust always recognize the limits of technology - and be modest aboutwhat military force alone can accomplish. Advances in precision, sensorinformation, and satellite technologies have led to extraordinary gainsthat will continue to give the U.S. military an edge over itsadversaries. But no one should ever neglect the psychological,cultural, political, and human dimensions of war or succumb to thetechno-optimism that has muddled strategic thinking in the past," Gates said.

SecretaryGates will join President Obama and other senior civilian and militaryleaders at two lengthy White House meetings this week to continuediscussing the way forward in Afghanistan. Officials say there will beat least two more meetings after that, and they expect the president todecide how to proceed within a few weeks.