President Bush informed the nation this afternoon in a televised press conference that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is stepping down. Bush intends to nominate former CIA director Robert Gates to replace Rumsfeld. Gates currently is serving as president of Texas A&M University. Despite saying just a week ago that Rumsfeld would remain in his post, Bush today said the decision “after a series of thoughtful conversations” and was not the result of Democratic success in the mid-term elections. The President said he and Rumsfeld agreed the “time is right.”
Northrop Grumman hopes its efforts to make more B-21 Raiders faster will encourage the Air Force to expand the final fleet size of the advanced stealth bomber.