"K-State's Landon Lecture Series has a long history of bringing the
nation's top military leaders to campus, so we're pleased that Defense
Secretary Gates will continue that tradition," said Charles Reagan,
chair of the lecture series.

Recent Landon Lecture speakers from the Department of Defense have
include the man Gates replaced, Donald Rumsfeld, and K-State alum Gen.
Richard Myers, who went on to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff.

A Kansas native, Gates became secretary of defense Dec. 18, 2006, after
serving as president of Texas A&M University since August 2002. He
served as director of the CIA from 1991-93, and was assistant to the
president and deputy national security adviser for President George
H.W. Bush from 1989-1991.

Gates joined the CIA in 1966, serving nearly 27 years as an
intelligence professional. His tenure at the CIA included nine years at
the National Security Council where he served four presidents.

His many honors include the National Security Medal and the
Presidential Citizens Medal. He is a two-time recipient of the National
Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal and a three-time recipient of
the CIA's highest award, the Distinguished Intelligence Medal.

Gates also is the author of the memoir "From the Shadows: The Ultimate
Insiders Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War," which
was published in 1996.

Gates earned his bachelor's degree from the College of William and
Mary; a master's from Indiana University; and a doctorate in Russian
and Soviet history from Georgetown University."