"He had hoped to join President (Barack) Obama in Strasbourg and Kehl to celebrate the alliance's 60th anniversary, but his work on the 2010 budget will not permit him to leave Washington then," press secretary Geoff Morrell said in a statement.

"He simply needs more time to review all of our major weapons programs and assess how they fit into his efforts to strategically rebalance the department's budget to reflect the president's national security priorities," he said.

Gates had originally planned to joined the US delegation to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and discuss Afghanistan at the summit, which will be held in the French city of Strasbourg and in Kehl across the border in Germany.

Facing what he has called difficult choices on military spending, Gates has warned repeatedly that budget pressures will require cutting or scaling some weapons programs plagued by cost overruns.

Fears of possible cuts to some programs, including F-22 Raptor fighter jets, have already drawn the ire of some lawmakers in Congress who enjoy the backing of the defense industry.

Gates has insisted on keeping the details of the budget deliberations secret until final decisions are made, ordering top officers and officials at the Pentaon to sign non-disclosure forms promising to keep budget details confidential.

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