Gates criticises Air Force role

Mr Gates says he has been asking for extra air back-up for months

Defence Secretary Robert Gates has strongly criticised the US Air Force's tactics in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He said asking for extra support had been "like pulling teeth" and accused some military leaders of being "stuck in old ways of doing business".

In a speech at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, the Pentagon chief said the US military needed more equipment and drones to collect intelligence.

He praised its overall contribution but called on the service to do more.

He said he wanted the Air Force to deploy more reconnaissance aircraft, like the pilotless Predator drone that provides real-time surveillance footage.

'Not good enough'

"I've been wrestling for months to get more intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets into the theatre," Mr Gates told officer students at the Air Force university.

"Because people were stuck in old ways of doing business, it's been like pulling teeth.

"While we've doubled this capability in recent months, it is still not good enough."

Mr Gates - who served in the Air Force in the 1960s before joining the Central Intelligence Agency - said he had set up a Pentagon taskforce last week to address his concerns.