Free Republic

(Participating were Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.) Rumsfeld: Good afternoon! I and some of the folks in this room returned Sunday from a meeting of defense ministers in Munich, and also the annual Wehrkunde security conference. I also went to Croatia. A central topic in Munich was how best to prepare the alliance for the 21st century threats. As the recently released European Union Security Strategy Paper said, "The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is potentially the greatest threat to our security" -- I'm...

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived here late Feb. 5 on the first leg of a five-day European trip that will also include stops in Zagreb, Croatia, and London. The secretary is in Munich to attend the Wehrkunde Security Conference, attended by defense ministers from countries throughout NATO and elsewhere. Rumsfeld said this conference is important because talks here will lay the groundwork for an international summit in Istanbul, Turkey, in June. This is also the first conference Rumsfeld will attend with new NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. Top topics at the conference are likely to include Afghanistan, Iraq...