WASHINGTON -- Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England said in a statement Tuesday that he will leave his post Jan. 20 when President-elect Barack Obama's administration comes into office.

England's announcement came a day after Obama announced he will keep Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Gates told reporters at the Pentagon that he has no intention of being a caretaker secretary. Gates said he and Obama agreed his appointment would be open-ended.

England, 71, has served eight years in the Bush administration, including two stints as Navy secretary and first deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. During that time he steered policy and decision making on detainee issues involving the detention center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

Every new president fills political positions in the Department of Defense, Gates said.

Obama defense advisor Richard Danzig, who served as Navy undersecretary and then secretary under former president Bill Clinton, has been mentioned most often in press accounts as a possible replacement for England. Obama spokeswoman Brooke Anderson declined comment.

''Its time for me to leave,'' England said in a statement released by the Pentagon. ``When I came into government in early 2001, I anticipated serving for two to four years. After almost eight years, it's now time for me to turn over the reins. It's most appropriate for the new administration to name its own deputy.''

The Pentagon statement also quoted England as characterizing his tenure with the Bush administration as ``an astonishing time to serve the nation.''

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