Reporter after reporter recently cornered Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to ask him to defend US presence in the middle of an Iraq civil war. Rumsfeld’s repeated response—with slight variations—“Iraq is not in the middle of a civil war.” He calls the situation “subterranean strife” and says “there is tension.” But, he says, the insurgents and terrorists are “trying to start a civil war.” So far, maintains Rumsfeld, the Iraqi leadership has been “very professional and very responsible.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth vowed to undertake far-reaching reforms on the way the U.S. military buys weapons, promising a sweeping overhaul of the way the Defense Department determines requirements, handles the acquisition process, and tests its kit. The fundamental goal, which Hegseth underscored in a 1-hour and 10-minute speech…
