Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will pay a visit to Beijing in October, Adm. William Fallon, head of US Pacific Command told reporters Wednesday. The Pentagon could soon invite Chinese military experts to observe exercises on the Korean Peninsula, Fallon added. Rumsfeld would be making his first trip to China, which he has accused of not being forthcoming on the scope of its broad military buildup.
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.