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Robert Gates, secretary of defense under both Presidents George W. Bush and Obama, signed on without reservation when approached by Edelman, who served as under secretary of defense for policy during Gates' time at the Pentagon, according to a spokesman for the former secretary.

\"PHOTO:
ABC News
PHOTO: Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates on 'This Week'
>

The letter concluded with a plea to the Defense Department to ensure a peaceful and smooth transfer of power.

\"Acting defense secretary Christopher C. Miller and his subordinates -- political appointees, officers and civil servants -- are each bound by oath, law and precedent to facilitate the entry into office of the incoming administration, and to do so wholeheartedly,\" the letter said. \"They must also refrain from any political actions that undermine the results of the election or hinder the success of the new team.\"

Edelman said this section was in response President-elect Joe Biden recently accusing political leaders at the Pentagon of \"obstruction.\"

Miller pushed back on those claims in a statement last Monday.

\"The Department of Defense has conducted 164 interviews with over 400 officials, and provided over 5,000 pages of documents -- far more than initially requested by Biden's transition team. DOD's efforts already surpass those of recent administrations with over three weeks to go and we continue to schedule additional meetings for the remainder of the transition and answer any and all requests for information in our purview,\" Miller said.

Some of the language in the letter directly mirrored comments from current defense officials, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, who have each said, before and after the election, that the military should play no part in handling election disputes.

\"There is no role for the U.S. military in determining the outcome of an American election,\" McCarthy said in a Dec. 22 statement.

That line was quoted without attribution in Sunday's op-ed.

The other former secretaries who signed the letter are Ashton Carter, Leon Panetta, William Cohen and Donald Rumsfeld.

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