Rumsfeld Sees a New China: If press reports are accurate, US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has changed his attitude—or approach—toward China’s increased defense spending. According to several news reports covering a meeting of Asian defense ministers, Rumsfeld indicated he believes Beijing is making more visible the scope of its military endeavors. That stands in marked contrast to Rumsfeld’s claim last year that China was upsetting regional stability, not to mention, the recently released Pentagon report on China.
The Senate confirmed new leaders of U.S. forces in Europe and the Middle East over the weekend. Lawmakers on June 29 also approved a reshuffling of Air Force officials that will put new faces in the service’s Pentagon headquarters as well as at its largest command.