26 January 2001 Rumsfeld Says U.S. Will Work for Strong, Secure Allies by Jacquelyn S. Porth Washington File Security Affairs Correspondent Washington -- The 21st U.S. secretary of defense welcomed his re-association with the military and civilian workforce at the Pentagon January 26 and pledged to work so that "America and her friends and allies are secure and strong." Donald Rumsfeld brought a sense of urgency to his Defense Department return -- he previously served as secretary in the Ford administration -- stressing the importance of combating an attitude that "we have all the time in the world" to get to the task at hand -- confronting "the new threats of this century." "We enjoy peace amid paradox," Rumsfeld said during the Pentagon welcoming ceremony hosted by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Henry Shelton, because "we are safer from the threat of massive nuclear war than at any point since the dawn of the atomic age. And yet we are more vulnerable to suitcase bombs, to cyber terrorists, to the raw and random violence of the outlaw regime." The challenge of keeping America safe is "well within our means," he told an audience that included former Secretaries of Defense Caspar Weinberger, Frank Carlucci, Melvin Laird and James Schlessinger. Shelton described the newly sworn-in secretary as "exactly the right man for the job in this new century." The chairman said Rumsfeld understands "the importance of maintaining a robust military capability as the best way to deter aggression, ensure stability, and prevent war." Rumsfeld, who is the only defense secretary to serve twice, has had a busy first week in office. He was sworn in officially at the White House on January 26 and then held his first Pentagon press conference, where he said four days of briefings and meetings on ethics, security, budget and personnel issues seemed more like four months of activities. He acknowledged that his opportunity to serve again "is an unusual one," and expressed his hope to turn "these years of influence into years of peace." Tasked by President Bush to ensure that the United States has "the world's strongest and most capable military," Rumsfeld said that satisfying that condition does not, in itself, guarantee peace and stability. In a theme that he explored during his January 11 confirmation hearing, he said the corollary is true: "weakness is provocative." Rumsfeld expressed delight to be working with a Bush national security team that includes Vice President Richard Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, and National Security Affairs Adviser Condoleezza Rice. Even though he has not served as defense secretary since 1977, Shelton pointed out in his welcoming remarks that Rumsfeld kept current on national security affairs, serving most recently as the chairman of a special commission on U.S. space assets and, earlier, as chairman of the 1998 commission on ballistic missile defenses. During his Senate confirmation hearing, Rumsfeld described the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, barring deployment of a national missile defense system, as ancient history. Asked at his press conference to clarify his position on the issue, he said he did not mean to disparage the treaty, but merely to point out that it was conceived a long time ago when available technologies were notably different. "The Soviet Union, our partner in that treaty, doesn't exist any more," he added. "The principle threats facing the United States are not the fear of a strategic nuclear exchange with the Soviet Union," Rumsfeld said, and the ABM should not inhibit the United States "from fashioning offensive and defensive capabilities that will provide for our security in a notably different national security environment." President Bush has been unambiguous about his desire to deploy a national missile defense capability because "it is not in our country's interest to perpetuate vulnerability," the new defense official said. Because there are new threats in the new environment, Rumsfeld said, the Bush national security team will be addressing the missile defense issue and he expects to focus on the subject next week. Asked about a construction timeline for a missile defense radar required at Shemya Island , the secretary said he did not want to establish a time limit. He turned aside questions about Taiwan and Columbia, saying they were issues on which the State Department will take the lead. Asked about his past and present position on Iraq and the Iraqi opposition, he would only say that "it is not helpful to have Saddam Hussein's regime in office." Rumsfeld, who served as ambassador to NATO, plans to travel to Germany for the February 2-4 Verkunde Conference on security held annually in Munich. He stressed the importance of the NATO alliance and said its contributions to stability extend well beyond Europe. Besides having his first opportunity to meet his defense counterparts there, he said he also hopes to have a chance to meet U.S. military personnel serving abroad. In addition to focusing on travel and missile defense in the coming weeks, Rumsfeld said he also will be considering the new Bush defense budget and the congressionally mandated Quadrennial Defense Review, due later in the year. (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov) Return to the Washington File