Robert Gates replaces Donald Rumsfeld as US Defence Secretary

Robert Gates has been officially sworn in as the new US Defence Secretary.At a special ceremony presided over by US President George W. Bush, Gates pledged his allegiance to the country.

The 63-year-old former CIA director takes over from Donald Rumsfeld. The appointment comes while the Bush administration is in the middle of a rethink of its strategy.

Georges W. Bush has described Mr Gates as the best man to handle the war and to undertake military reform.