Gates' Remarks at Swearing-In Ceremony

-- Text of Robert M. Gates' remarks Monday after taking the oath of office as defense secretary, as transcribed by CQ Transcriptions:

GATES: Thank you.

Mr. President, I am deeply honored by the trust you have placed in me. You have asked for my candor and my honest counsel at this critical moment in our nation's history, and you will get both.

Mr. Vice President, thank you for administering the oath of office. I first worked closely with the vice president when he was a very successful secretary of defense, and I hope some of that may rub off.

My sincere thanks to the members of the United States Congress who are here today. I appreciate the prompt and fair hearing that I received in the Senate and the confidence that senators have placed in me.

Chairman Pace, thank you. I look forward to working with you and the joint staff.

To the service chiefs and service staffs, to all the uniformed military here today, I value your professionalism and your experience. And I will rely on your clear-eyed advice in weeks and months ahead.

Finally I want to thank Becky, my wife of 40 years, and my children, Eleanor and Brad, for their infinite patience.

I want to thank other family and friends who are here, but single out one especially, my 93-year-old mother. She told me that if she can make it from Kansas to Texas A&M football games every fall, she certainly could be in Washington for this ceremony.

I, too, want to say a few words about my predecessor. Donald Rumsfeld has devoted decades of his life to public service. He cares deeply about our men and women in uniform and the future of our country. I thank him for his long and distinguished service, and wish him and Joyce and their family all the best.

It is an honor to have the opportunity to work with the people in this department, dedicate professionals whose overriding priority is the defense of our nation.

Long ago, I learned something about leading large institutions: Leaders come and go, but the professionals endure long after the appointees are gone.