WASHINGTON —  Defense Secretary Robert Gates says those responsible for letting wounded soldiers live in "unacceptable" conditions at a military medical facility will be held accountable.

Gates told reporters at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington he was very disappointed to read Washington Post stories on substandard living conditions. The stories also delved into the vast amounts of red tape some soldiers have to wade through while getting outpatient care.

The defense chief had an edge to his voice as he said some members of the military family "may not have been treated the way they should have been."

Gates says a review panel will inspect Walter Reed, as well as a Navy facility in Maryland and any other medical centers it chooses. He says the report is due in 45 days, but the military will not wait that long to make changes.