Gordon Lubold has an informative article in today’s Christian Science Monitor titled Pentagon Ponders Transition in Time of War.

The Pentagon is making a pointed effort to ensure that the transition to a new administration in January 2009 – the first time in 40 years that a handover of power will take place during wartime – goes smoothly, minimizing the risk of disruptions or attacks on military operations during the changeover….

Well worth reading in its entirety - and we even get a plug.

Meanwhile, Gates's reputation for demanding accountability without trumpeting his own personality is popular across the department and in Congress, too. "I think he may be the best secretary of defense we ever had," says one active-duty Army officer in high-level circles.

Now, some would like him to stay on. One respected website devoted to irregular warfare called the Small Wars Journal contains an open letter to the new administration asking that whoever wins to consider keeping Gates.

Shortest, but Most Important SWJ Post to Date - Small Wars Journal, 13 June 2008