Free Republic

Pentagon counternarcotics and counterterrorism operations around the world were abruptly suspended this month when the Defense Department officials overseeing the programs failed to ensure they were funded by congressional authorizations, according to documents obtained by The Washington Examiner. The lapse has caused serious national security and diplomatic problems for the U.S. military, according to Defense Department officials. The authorizations cover joint counternarcotics operations with foreign governments, as well as federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in the U.S. The mix-up occurred when the anti-narcotics programs were not included on a list provided to Congress of operations that needed to...

Secretary Rumsfeld is pushing for change and alteration of the Department of Defense. Dubbed transformation, its intent is to synchronize our military forces with the blitzkrieg of technological advances available to all four services that make up our armed forces. I recall another DOD initiative, introduced several years ago, that attempted to streamline the way we conduct service training for all armed forces personnel. Back in the late seventies, I was a low level Army staff officer on the Army’s General Staff at the Pentagon. Among other duties I was designated the Army staff coordinator or point of contact for...

WASHINGTON - Donald Rumsfeld is likely to remain at the Pentagon until the spring, enabling him to to stay in the administration through the Iraqi elections and advance his plans for transforming the American military, despite strong pressure from key White House political advisers for him to leave sooner. According to well-placed Pentagon sources, Vice President Cheney has argued the case for Mr. Rumsfeld to remain as defense secretary until at least the spring, and Mr. Cheney would prefer that Mr. Rumsfeld stayed longer. Karl Rove and other White House advisers, however, have maintained that Mr. Rumsfeld has become a...