For a second day, an American C-17 cargo plane arrived in Georgia bearing relief supplies, encountering no interference from Russian forces. Bush ordered the military-run operation Wednesday, setting up what administration officials described as a direct challenge to Russia to keep its promise to allow humanitarian aid.
A small team of Pentagon officials arrived to assess how best to funnel relief supplies to those injured or displaced by the conflict.
Gates and Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a Pentagon briefing that American forces had the right to self-defense but that he did not anticipate that they would have to resort to force to distribute the medicine and shelters.
Gates stressed that he was not predicting a return to the Cold War, and he said that over all the United States response to the crisis had been restrained.
"The United States spent 45 years working very hard to avoid a military confrontation with Russia," Gates said. "I see no reason to change that approach today."
Gates, one of the administration's experts on Soviet and Russian policies, previously served as the director of central intelligence while spending his career studying the Kremlin and its efforts to exert influence around the world.
"What happens in the days and months to come will determine the future course of U.S.-Russian relations," he said. "But by the same token, my personal view is that there needs to be some consequences for the actions that Russia has taken against a sovereign state."
The United States has already canceled outright or withdrawn from several military exercises that were to have included Russian forces in the coming days, the first concrete, punitive steps taken by the administration.
In addition, Gates said, the Defense Department "will re-examine the entire gamut of our military-to-military activities with Russia and will make changes as necessary and appropriate, depending on Russian actions in the days ahead."
The Russian government unleashed its military into Georgia to accomplish two goals, Gates said: to punish Georgia for trying to integrate with the West and to warn other nations in the former Soviet sphere of influence against closer ties with Washington and its NATO allies.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
