„My time as secretary of defense reinforced my belief that in recent decades, American presidents, confronted with a tough problem abroad, have too often been too quick to reach for the a gun-to use military force… Too many ideologues call for the use of the American military as the first option rather the a last resort to address problems. War is inevitably tragic, inefficient and uncertain… Our foreign and national security policy has become too militarized, the use of force too easy for presidents“

– Former US Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates