Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation set conditions so that these contributions do not simply increase the foundation's endowment, but effectively work as a matching contribution, doubling the foundation's annual giving. Bloomberg News noted, "Buffett's gift came with three conditions for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: Bill or Melinda Gates must be alive and active in its administration; it must continue to qualify as a charity; and each year it must give away an amount equal to the previous year's Berkshire gift, plus an additional amount equal to 5 percent of net assets. Buffett gave the foundation two years to abide by the third requirement."
USS Thomas S. Gates and other personal business. The Navy decommissioned "Thomas S. Gates" on 15 December 2005, four months earlier than the planned March 2006 date, and after serving only 18 years in the active fleet. She was stricken the same date and was berthed at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia, PA as of 2014. As of 2008, she was slated to be dismantled in the next five years along with her sisters and . As of July 2014, NAVSEA planned to place ex-"Thomas S. Gates" and ex-"Ticonderoga" up for bid to scrappers via the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). DLA