--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Quickly filling those information gaps…" description: "\"“Quickly filling those information gaps and protecting the country from another attack became the sole preoccupation of the president and his senior te..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed1/robert-m-gates-2972_protecting-country_quickly-filling-those-information-gaps-a_3164734.jpg" --- # Quickly filling those information gaps and protecting the… ![“Quickly filling those information gaps and protecting the country from another attack became the sole preoccupation of the president and his senior team. Any obstacle—legal, bureaucratic, financial, or international—to accomplishing those objectives had to be overcome.” quote by Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed1/robert-m-gates-2972_protecting-country_quickly-filling-those-information-gaps-a_3164734.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed1/robert-m-gates-2972_protecting-country_quickly-filling-those-information-gaps-a_3164734.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed1/robert-m-gates-2972_protecting-country_quickly-filling-those-information-gaps-a_3164734.jpg) > ““Quickly filling those information gaps and protecting the country from another attack became the sole preoccupation of the president and his senior team. Any obstacle—legal, bureaucratic, financial, or international—to accomplishing those objectives had to be overcome.”” [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The president prioritizes filling gaps and protecting the nation, overcoming any obstacle. **In simple terms:** Leaders focus on security, tackling all barriers. Key Takeaway Prioritize security, remove obstacles. Themes leadership security strategy Mood urgent serious Type policy motivational When to use this quote - government crisis - military planning - emergency response Key Concepts risk management policy implementation Questions to Reflect On - What obstacles are hardest to overcome? - How to balance speed with legality? A Different Perspective Legal and diplomatic limits may impede action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gaps Protecting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gaps-protecting-5736026/) [Objectives Overcome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objectives-overcome-5736025/) [Preoccupation President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preoccupation-president-5736024/) [President Senior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president-senior-5736027/) [Protecting Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protecting-country-944550/) ## Related quotes > [For Donald Trump to dismiss out of hand the intelligence community's fact gathering is, frankly - doesn't bode well for him protecting our country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/for-donald-trump-to-dismiss-out-of-hand-the-intelligence-community-s/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [I am committed to protecting our country against the threat of terrorism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ryun/i-am-committed-to-protecting-our-country-against-the-threat-of/) [Jim Ryun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ryun/) > [After every war, there was a significant change in the music, and I can understand how that happened. If you participate in protecting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/after-every-war-there-was-a-significant-change-in-the-music-and-i-can/) [Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/) > [We have to make our economy work for everyone - not just those at the top - protecting our country and protecting our planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-have-to-make-our-economy-work-for-everyone-not-just-those-at-the/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [“Someone who finally wasn’t afraid to say what everyone else was thinking: why the fuck were we out here, playing cat and mouse games,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/callie-hart/someone-who-finally-wasn-t-afraid-to-say-what-everyone-else-was/) [Callie Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/callie-hart/) ## More by Robert M. Gates > [And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/and-so-the-greatest-of-american-triumphs-became-a-peculiarly-joyless/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [“Obama answered, “Yes. I’m no peacenik.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/obama-answered-yes-i-m-no-peacenik/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [“I was seething. I told him that “the clock is ticking” and that our patience with their lack of political progress was running out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/i-was-seething-i-told-him-that-the-clock-is-ticking-and-that-our/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [Some people have said, in so many words, that I'm kind of wooly-headed in believing that the Iranians would see not having nuclear weapons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/some-people-have-said-in-so-many-words-that-i-m-kind-of-wooly-headed/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [“Obama was the fourth president I had worked for who said outright that he wanted to eliminate all nuclear weapons (Carter, Reagan, and Bush…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/obama-was-the-fourth-president-i-had-worked-for-who-said-outright/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [I had no concerns - I had no reason to have concerns based on what was available to me about North's contacts with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/i-had-no-concerns-i-had-no-reason-to-have-concerns-based-on-what-was/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [Health care costs are eating the Defense Department alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/health-care-costs-are-eating-the-defense-department-alive/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [“The passage of fourteen years had led to another significant change in the international environment. As I told Bush 43 and Condi Rice on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/the-passage-of-fourteen-years-had-led-to-another-significant-change/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [I've been very sensitive for a long time to the repeated pattern, during economic hard times or after a war, of the United States'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/i-ve-been-very-sensitive-for-a-long-time-to-the-repeated-pattern/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [I don't know General Michael Flynn well, but it's hard for me to believe anybody would allow themselves to be blackmailed by the Russians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/i-don-t-know-general-michael-flynn-well-but-it-s-hard-for-me-to/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [I had no difficulty as Secretary of Defense moving from the Bush administration to the Obama administration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/i-had-no-difficulty-as-secretary-of-defense-moving-from-the-bush/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [The United States has been a global power since late in the 19th century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/the-united-states-has-been-a-global-power-since-late-in-the-19th/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [My one concern is that Hu Jintao may overestimate how much power China has in Pyongyang. They have - they do have influence, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/my-one-concern-is-that-hu-jintao-may-overestimate-how-much-power/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [“I thought you were my friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/i-thought-you-were-my-friend/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [“Soon after the raid was over, the White House released the now-famous photo of all of us watching the video in that small conference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/soon-after-the-raid-was-over-the-white-house-released-the-now-famous/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) [Explore all 143 Robert M. Gates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) ## More Protecting Country quotes > [For Donald Trump to dismiss out of hand the intelligence community's fact gathering is, frankly - doesn't bode well for him protecting our country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/for-donald-trump-to-dismiss-out-of-hand-the-intelligence-community-s/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [I am committed to protecting our country against the threat of terrorism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ryun/i-am-committed-to-protecting-our-country-against-the-threat-of/) [Jim Ryun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ryun/) > [After every war, there was a significant change in the music, and I can understand how that happened. If you participate in protecting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/after-every-war-there-was-a-significant-change-in-the-music-and-i-can/) [Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/) > [We have to make our economy work for everyone - not just those at the top - protecting our country and protecting our planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-have-to-make-our-economy-work-for-everyone-not-just-those-at-the/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [“Someone who finally wasn’t afraid to say what everyone else was thinking: why the fuck were we out here, playing cat and mouse games,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/callie-hart/someone-who-finally-wasn-t-afraid-to-say-what-everyone-else-was/) [Callie Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/callie-hart/) [Browse all 6 Protecting Country quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protecting-country-944550/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Quickly filling those information gaps and protecting the country from another attack became the sole preoccupation of the president and his senior team. 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