By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Paying for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in fits and starts undermines military planning and risks gains made by U.S. troops over the past year, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday.

Congress this week approved $70 billion for combat operations, but that is only half of what the President Bush requested.

''We will again face the risk of running out of money,'' Gates said at a Pentagon news conference. He said the uncertainly of funding requires the Defense Department to make ''short-term plans and short-term decisions.'' Full Story



Link to Pentagon Press Conference Transcript