WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States has consistently failed to predict the next area of armed conflict over the past 40 years, former US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said on Wednesday.
"Our record since Vietnam [war] in predicting where we would use military force next, even a few months out, is perfect — we have never once gotten it right," Gates said in the Senate.
The US inability to anticipate military actions has been highlighted in recent weeks with Russia’s decision to join Syria’s fight against the Islamic State (ISIL).
Last week members of the US Congress announced they would be investigating potential lapses in US intelligence ahead of Russia joining the fight.
US President Barack Obama was also caught off guard by the 2014 rise of the ISIL, which he initially dismissed as a lower ranking threat than al-Qaeda.
