 |
|
|
01 March 2001
Wolfowitz in Place as New Deputy Defense Secretary
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld introduced reporters to his new deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, at the regular March 1 Defense Department briefing. Wolfowitz returns to the Pentagon for his third tour, following his confirmation by unanimous voice vote of the Senate on February 28. Rumsfeld lauded former Deputy Secretary of Defense Rudy de Leon, and noted that he will remain at the Pentagon for a few more weeks to ensure a smooth transition. To date, Wolfowitz is the only senior Defense Department official other than Rumsfeld to have been confirmed. The White House has announced its intention to nominate Dov Zakheim as the next Pentagon comptroller. Wolfowitz is a known quantity at the Defense Department because he served as under secretary of defense for policy for four years during the administration of George H. W. Bush. He is also a former U.S. ambassador to Indonesia. His biography is available on the Web at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/20010205-1.html The 57-year old Wolfowitz, who has just left his position as dean of John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, was asked why he wanted to return to the Pentagon. He said there is "terribly important work to be done." For example, the official said, "We have enormous challenges...to undertake in both fixing some of the immediate problems of the current force, but also shaping the force for the 21st century." Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz served together on the 1998 Commission to Assess the Ballistic Missile Threat to the United States (the executive summary may be viewed at http://www.fas.org/irp/threat/bm-threat.htm). Wolfowitz said he could not imagine "a stronger national security team than the one President Bush has assembled." Rumsfeld said it will be a few weeks before he and his deputy determine how to divide up policy and management functions. At least one of Wolfowitz's tasks "will be...to see that big decisions that are coming down the road are addressed and arranged and presented in a manner that allows proper secretary...or presidential decisions," he said. The new deputy secretary said he will be spending much of his time working on what he called "the nuts and bolts" of the Pentagon and not so much on policy issues. But Wolfowitz did say that all subjects are on the table in terms of the ongoing Rumsfeld review of acquisition reform, military intelligence and defense strategy "including the question of how you handle the so-called two major regional contingencies. And are they (the contingencies) an abstraction, or are they specifically North Korea and the Persian Gulf?"
Return to the Washington File |
