, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Feb. 27 asked a Senate panel for $2.4 billion to fund research into ways to defeat roadside bombs that have killed more than a thousand U.S. troops in Iraq.
Gates expressed frustration at the ability of insurgents to adapt their technologies and so far beat U.S. measures against these improvised explosive devices, known as IEDs.
“One of the — no, not one of the — the most unpleasant aspect of my job is every night going home and hand-writing notes to the families of those who have been killed in action,” Gates said. “There
