Editing Donald Rumsfeld (section)

== Secretary of Defense (2001–2006) ==
[[File:Rumsfeld is sworn-in as Secretary of Defense, January 20, 2001.jpg|thumb|Rumsfeld is administered the oath of office as the 21st Secretary of Defense on January 20, 2001, by [[Director of Administration and Management (Department of Defense)|Director of Administration and Management]] [[David O. Cooke]] (left), as Joyce Rumsfeld holds the Bible in a ceremony at the [[Eisenhower Executive Office Building]].|left]]

Rumsfeld was named Secretary of Defense soon after President George W. Bush took office in 2001 despite Rumsfeld's past rivalry with the previous President Bush. Bush's first choice, [[FedEx]] founder [[Frederick W. Smith|Fred Smith]], was unavailable and Vice President-elect Cheney recommended Rumsfeld for the job.{{sfn|George W. Bush|2010|pp=83–84}} Rumsfeld's second tenure as Secretary of Defense cemented him as the most powerful Pentagon chief since [[Robert McNamara]] and one of the most influential Cabinet members in the Bush administration.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2002-12-09-1a-cover_x.htm |work=USA Today |date=December 9, 2002 |author=Moniz, Dave |title=Rumsfeld's abrasive style sparks conflict |access-date=November 17, 2011 |archive-date=January 27, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127204516/http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2002-12-09-1a-cover_x.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> His tenure proved to be a pivotal and rocky one that led the United States military into the 21st century. Following the [[September 11 attacks]], Rumsfeld led the military planning and execution of the 2001 [[United States invasion of Afghanistan]] and the subsequent [[2003 invasion of Iraq]]. He pushed hard to send as small a force as soon as possible to both conflicts, a concept codified as the [[Rumsfeld Doctrine]].<ref name="National Defense University Press">{{cite web|url=https://ndupress.ndu.edu/Portals/68/Documents/Books/lessons-encountered/lessons-encountered_Ch1.pdf?ver=2015-09-29-125128-023.|title=Initial Planning and Execution in Afghanistan and Iraq By Joseph J. Collins|publisher=National Defense University Press|access-date=July 4, 2020|archive-date=July 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704104223/https://ndupress.ndu.edu/Portals/68/Documents/Books/lessons-encountered/lessons-encountered_Ch1.pdf?ver=2015-09-29-125128-023.|url-status=live}}</ref>

Throughout his time as defense secretary, Rumsfeld was noted for his candor and quick wit when giving weekly press conferences or speaking with the press.<ref name="candor">{{cite news|date=January 20, 2002 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/20/opinion/rumsfeld-s-moment.html |newspaper=The New York Times |author=Wright, Robert |title=Rumsfeld's Moment |access-date=November 17, 2011 |archive-date=May 14, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514141146/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/20/opinion/rumsfeld-s-moment.html}}</ref> ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'' called him "a straight-talking Midwesterner" who "routinely has the press corps doubled over in fits of laughter".<ref name="candor" /> By the same token, his leadership was exposed to much criticism through books covering the Iraq conflict, like [[Bob Woodward]]'s ''[[State of Denial]]'', [[Thomas E. Ricks (journalist)|Thomas E. Ricks]]' ''[[Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq|Fiasco]]'', and [[Seymour Hersh]]'s ''Chain of Command''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2006/10/11/books-lay-blame-with-general/ |title=Books lay blame with general |date=October 11, 2006 |last=Martin |first=Susan Taylor |website=[[Tampa Bay Times]] |access-date=July 5, 2021 |archive-date=July 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210706143549/https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2006/10/11/books-lay-blame-with-general/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===September 11, 2001 attacks===
[[File:The Pentagon is functioning.jpg|thumb|"The Pentagon is functioning" was the message Rumsfeld stressed during a press conference in the Pentagon briefing room barely eight hours after terrorists crashed a hijacked commercial jetliner into the Pentagon. Rumsfeld is flanked, left to right, by [[United States Secretary of the Army|Secretary of the Army]] [[Thomas E. White|Tom White]], [[Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]] General [[Hugh Shelton]], and Senators [[John Warner]] (R-VA), and [[Carl Levin]] (D-MI), the Ranking Member and Chairman of the [[Senate Armed Services Committee]].]]

On [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001]], [[al-Qaeda]] terrorists hijacked commercial airliners and crashed them in coordinated strikes into both towers of the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] in [[Lower Manhattan]], New York City, and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The fourth plane crashed into a field in [[Shanksville, Pennsylvania]], and its target was likely a prominent building in [[Washington, D.C.]], most probably either the [[U.S. Capitol Building]] or the [[White House]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Shuster, David |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna14778963 |title=9/11 mystery: What was Flight 93's target? |date=September 12, 2006 |work=NBC News |access-date=November 13, 2011 |archive-date=March 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130302105940/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/14778963 |url-status=live }}</ref> Within three hours of the start of the first hijacking and two hours after [[American Airlines Flight 11]] struck the World Trade Center, Rumsfeld raised the defense condition signaling of the United States offensive readiness to [[DEFCON|DEFCON 3]], the highest it had been since the [[Yom Kippur War|Arab–Israeli war in 1973]].<ref>{{cite report |url=https://www.911commission.gov/report/911Report.pdf |title=The 9/11 Commission Report |page=326 |date=July 22, 2004 |access-date=May 29, 2019 |archive-date=June 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190623164504/https://911commission.gov/report/911Report.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

Rumsfeld addressed the nation in a press conference at the Pentagon, just eight hours after the attacks and stated, "It's an indication that the United States government is functioning in the face of this terrible act against our country. I should add that the briefing here is taking place in the Pentagon. The Pentagon's functioning. It will be in business tomorrow."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=1613|title=DoD News Briefing on Pentagon Attack|publisher=United States Department of Defense|date=September 11, 2001|access-date=July 5, 2020|archive-date=July 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729230343/https://archive.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=1613|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Military decisions in the wake of 9/11===
[[File:Rumsfeld and Giuliani at Ground Zero.jpg|thumb|Rumsfeld and New York City Mayor [[Rudy Giuliani]] speak at the site of the World Trade Center attacks in [[Lower Manhattan]] on November 14, 2001.]]

On the afternoon of September 11, Rumsfeld issued rapid orders to his aides to look for evidence of possible Iraqi involvement in regard to what had just occurred, according to notes taken by senior policy official [[Stephen Cambone]]. "Best info fast. Judge whether good enough hit S.H."{{snd}}meaning Saddam Hussein{{snd}}"at same time. Not only UBL" ([[Osama bin Laden]]), Cambone's notes quoted Rumsfeld as saying. "Need to move swiftly{{snd}}Near term target needs{{snd}}go massive{{snd}}sweep it all up. Things related and not."<ref>{{cite news|first=Joel |last=Roberts |title=Plans For Iraq Attack Began On 9/11 |date=September 4, 2002 |work=[[CBS News]] |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/plans-for-iraq-attack-began-on-9-11/ |access-date=October 7, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090927043007/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/09/04/september11/main520830.shtml |archive-date=September 27, 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Julian |last=Borger |title=Blogger bares Rumsfeld's post 9/11 orders |date=February 24, 2006 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/feb/24/freedomofinformation.september11 |work=[[The Guardian]]|location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211113142/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/feb/24/freedomofinformation.september11 |archive-date=February 11, 2009 |url-status=live |access-date=February 11, 2009}}</ref>

In the first emergency meeting of the [[United States National Security Council|National Security Council]] on the day of the attacks, Rumsfeld asked, "Why shouldn't we go against Iraq, not just al-Qaeda?" with his deputy [[Paul Wolfowitz]] adding that Iraq was a "brittle, oppressive regime that might break easily—it was doable," and, according to [[John Kampfner]], "from that moment on, he and Wolfowitz used every available opportunity to press the case."<ref>{{cite book | last =Kampfner | first =John | author-link =John Kampfner | title =Blair's wars | publisher =Simon and Schuster | year =2003 | page =156 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=U4xti2TmG6UC&pg=PA156 | isbn =978-0-7432-4829-7 | access-date =June 30, 2021 | archive-date =August 1, 2020 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20200801021731/https://books.google.com/books?id=U4xti2TmG6UC&pg=PA156 | url-status =live }}</ref> President George W. Bush reacted to Rumsfeld's suggestion, "Wait a minute, I didn't hear a word said about him (Saddam Hussein) being responsible for the attack"<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bergen |first1=Peter L. |title=The Rise and Fall of Osama Bin Laden |date=2022 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-9821-7053-0 |page=159 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UCSvzgEACAAJ |language=en}}</ref> and the idea was initially rejected at the behest of Secretary of State [[Colin Powell]], but, according to Kampfner, "Undeterred Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz held secret meetings about opening up a second front—against Saddam. Powell was excluded." In such meetings they created a policy that would later be dubbed the [[Bush Doctrine]], centering on "pre-emption" and the war on Iraq, which the [[Project for the New American Century|PNAC]] had advocated in their earlier letters.<ref name="Hersh">[[Seymour Hersh|Seymour M. Hersh]], [https://www.newyorker.com/archive/2003/05/12/030512fa_fact "Annals of National Security Selective Intelligence:] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140717100914/http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2003/05/12/030512fa_fact |date=July 17, 2014 }} Donald Rumsfeld Has His Own Special Sources. Are they reliable?" ''The New Yorker'', May 12, 2003, accessed May 8, 2007.</ref>

[[Richard A. Clarke]], the White House counter-terrorism coordinator at the time, has revealed details of another National Security Council meeting the day after the attacks, during which officials considered the U.S. response. Already, he said, they were certain al-Qa'ida was to blame and there was no hint of Iraqi involvement. "Rumsfeld was saying we needed to bomb Iraq," according to Clarke. Clarke then stated, "We all said, 'No, no, al-Qa'ida is in Afghanistan.{{'"}} Clarke also revealed that Rumsfeld complained in the meeting, "there aren't any good targets in Afghanistan and there are lots of good targets in Iraq."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/rumsfeld-wanted-to-bomb-iraq-after-911-65340.html|title=Rumsfeld 'wanted to bomb Iraq' after 9/11|work=The Independent|date=March 21, 2004|access-date=July 9, 2020|archive-date=July 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711125049/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/rumsfeld-wanted-to-bomb-iraq-after-911-65340.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Rumsfeld even suggested to attack other countries like Libya and Sudan, arguing that if this was to be a truly "global war on terror" then all state sponsors of terrorism should be dealt with.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bergen |first1=Peter L. |title=The Rise and Fall of Osama Bin Laden |date=2022 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-9821-7053-0 |page=160 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=anp5EAAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref>

Rumsfeld wrote in ''Known and Unknown'', "Much has been written about the Bush administration's focus on Iraq after 9/11. Commentators have suggested that it was strange or obsessive for the President and his advisers to have raised questions about whether Saddam Hussein was somehow behind the attack. I have never understood the controversy. I had no idea if Iraq was or was not involved, but it would have been irresponsible for any administration not to have asked the question."<ref name="memoir" />{{rp|347}}

A memo written by Rumsfeld dated November 27, 2001, considers an Iraq war. One section of the memo questions "How start?", listing multiple possible justifications for a U.S.-Iraq War.<ref name="tv.msnbc.com" />


[[File:Rumsfeld-Memo-HowStart.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Excerpt from Donald Rumsfeld memo dated November 27, 2001<ref name="tv.msnbc.com">{{cite news|date=February 27, 2014 |url=https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/building-momentum-regime-change-rumsfe |title='Building momentum for regime change': Rumsfeld's secret memos |archive-date=March 13, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313095516/http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/building-momentum-regime-change-rumsfe}}</ref>]]
===War in Afghanistan===
Rumsfeld directed the planning for the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|War in Afghanistan]] after the September 11 attacks.<ref name="National Defense University Press" /> On September 21, 2001, [[United States Central Command|USCENTCOM]] Commander General [[Tommy Franks]], briefed the President on a plan to destroy al Qaeda in Afghanistan and remove the [[Taliban]] government. General Franks also initially proposed to Rumsfeld that the U.S. invade Afghanistan using a conventional force of 60,000 troops, preceded by six months of preparation. Rumsfeld, however feared that a conventional invasion of Afghanistan could bog down as had happened to the Soviets in the [[Soviet–Afghan War]] and the [[1842 retreat from Kabul]] by the British.<ref>{{cite web |title=Special forces and horses |url=http://www.armedforcesjournal.com/special-forces-and-horses/ |date=November 1, 2006 |access-date=February 8, 2016 |archive-date=February 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224191818/http://armedforcesjournal.com/special-forces-and-horses/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Rumsfeld rejected Franks's plan, saying "I want men on the ground now!" Franks returned the next day with a plan utilizing [[US Special Forces|U.S. Special Forces]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Zimmerman|first1=Dwight Jon|title=21st Century Horse Soldiers – Special Operations Forces and Operation Enduring Freedom|url=http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/operation-enduring-freedom-the-first-49-days-4/|date=September 16, 2011|access-date=September 11, 2015|archive-date=February 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210216194220/https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/operation-enduring-freedom-the-first-49-days-4/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="National Defense University Press" /> Despite air and missile attacks against al Qaeda in Afghanistan, [[United States Central Command|USCENTCOM]] had no pre-existing plans for conducting ground operations there.<ref name="National Defense University Press" />

[[File:Brigadier General Lloyd Austin converse with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.jpg|thumb|Rumsfeld (center) converses with [[List of ambassadors of the United States to Afghanistan|U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan]] [[Zalmay Khalilzad]] (right) as Brig. Gen. [[Lloyd Austin]] (top left) looks on during a visit to [[Kandahar|Kandahar, Afghanistan]], on February 26, 2004.]]

The September 21, 2001 plan emerged after extensive dialogue, but Secretary Rumsfeld also asked for broader plans that looked beyond Afghanistan.<ref name="National Defense University Press" />

On October 7, 2001, just hours after the [[United States invasion of Afghanistan|2001 invasion of Afghanistan]] was launched, Rumsfeld addressed the nation in a press conference at the Pentagon stating "While our raids today focus on the Taliban and the foreign terrorists in Afghanistan, our aim remains much broader. Our objective is to defeat those who use terrorism and those who house or support them. The world stands united in this effort".<ref name="United States Department of Defense-2001">{{cite web|url=https://archive.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=2011|title=Rumsfeld and Myers Briefing on Enduring Freedom|publisher=United States Department of Defense|date=October 7, 2001|access-date=July 4, 2020|archive-date=July 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704213028/https://archive.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Rumsfeld also stated "the only way to deal with these terrorist threats is to go at them where they exist. You cannot defend at every place at every time against every conceivable, imaginable, even unimaginable terrorist attack. And the only way to deal with it is to take the battle to where they are and to root them out and to starve them out by seeing that those countries and those organizations and those non-governmental organizations and those individuals that are supporting and harboring and facilitating these networks stop doing it and find that there's a penalty for doing it".<ref name="United States Department of Defense-2001" />

Rumsfeld in another press conference at the Pentagon on October 29, 2001, stated "As the first weeks of this effort proceed, it bears repeating that our goal is not to reduce or simply contain terrorist acts, but our goal is to deal with it comprehensively. And we do not intend to stop until we've rooted out terrorist networks and put them out of business, not just in the case of the Taliban and the Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, but other networks as well. And as I've mentioned, the Al Qaeda network crosses some 40, 50-plus countries."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/specials/attacked/transcripts/rumsfeldtext_102901.html|title=Text: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=October 29, 2001|access-date=July 4, 2020|archive-date=November 4, 2002|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021104072846/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/specials/attacked/transcripts/rumsfeldtext_102901.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Rumsfeld announced in November 2001, that he received "authoritative reports" that Al-Qaeda's number three [[Mohammed Atef]], bin Laden's primary military chief and a planner of the September 11 attacks on America, was killed by a U.S. airstrike.<ref name="Orlando Sentinel-2001">{{cite news |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2001-11-17-0111170104-story.html |title=U.S. Thinks Bomb Killed Bin Laden's Top Aide |work=Orlando Sentinel |date=November 17, 2001 |access-date=July 4, 2020 |archive-date=October 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022190425/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2001-11-17-0111170104-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/specials/attacked/transcripts/rumsfeldtext_111901.html|title=Text:Pentagon Briefing with Secretary Rumsfeld|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=November 19, 2001|access-date=July 4, 2020|archive-date=December 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131222045045/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/specials/attacked/transcripts/rumsfeldtext_111901.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="archive.defense.gov">{{cite web|url=https://archive.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=2444|title=DoD News Briefing – Secretary Rumsfeld|date=November 19, 2001|access-date=July 4, 2020|archive-date=July 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705040502/https://archive.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=2444|url-status=dead}}</ref> "He was very, very senior," Rumsfeld said. "We obviously have been seeking [him] out."<ref name="Orlando Sentinel-2001" />

In a press conference at the Pentagon on November 19, 2001, Rumsfeld described the role of U.S. ground forces in Afghanistan as firstly in the north, American troops are "embedded in [[Northern Alliance]]" elements, helping arrange food and medical supplies and pinpointing airstrikes and in the south, commandos and other troops are operating more independently, raiding compounds, monitoring roadblocks and searching vehicles in the hope of developing more information about al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders.<ref name="archive.defense.gov" /><ref name="Orlando Sentinel-2001" /> On December 16, 2001, Rumsfeld visited U.S. troops in Afghanistan at [[Bagram Airfield|Bagram Air Base]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=44350|title=Rumsfeld Visits Afghanistan, Meets With U.S. Troops|publisher=United States Department of Defense|date=December 16, 2001|access-date=July 5, 2020|archive-date=September 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930023822/http://archive.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=44350|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On March 15, 2002, in another press conference at the Pentagon, Rumsfeld commented on the mission of [[Operation Anaconda]] by stating "Operation Anaconda continues in the area south of Gardez in eastern Afghanistan. The fighting is winding down as you know. Coalition forces are for the most part in an exploitation phase, doing the difficult work of searching caves and clearing areas where the battles and fighting has taken place. Our forces are finding weapons, ammunition, some intelligence information. In the top 25 al Qaeda, we know some are dead and we know some may be dead; we know some are captured and there are a larger number that we don't know. And roughly the same proportions with respect to Taliban".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://usinfo.org/wf-archive/2002/020315/epf503.htm|title=Transcript: Defense Department Briefing, March 15, 2002|date=March 15, 2002|access-date=22 February 2022}}</ref>

On May 1, 2003, Rumsfeld during a visit to Afghanistan meeting with U.S. troops stationed in Kabul told the press "General Franks and I have been looking at the progress that's being made in this country and have concluded that we are at a point where we clearly have moved from major combat activity to a period of stability and stabilization and reconstruction and activities." "I should underline however, that there are still dangers, there are still pockets of resistance in certain parts of the country and General McNeal and General Franks and their, the cooperation they have with the [[Hamid Karzai|President Karzai]]'s government and leadership and Marshall Fayheems assistance. We will be continuing as a country to work with the Afghan government and the new Afghan National Army to see that the any areas where there is resistance to this government and to the coalition forces will be dealt with promptly and efficiently."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=2562|title=Secretary Rumsfeld Joint Media Availability with President Karzai|publisher=United States Department of Defense|date=May 1, 2003|access-date=July 22, 2020|archive-date=July 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722114646/https://archive.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=2562|url-status=dead}}</ref>

There was also controversy between the Pentagon and the CIA over who had the authority to fire [[Hellfire missiles]] from [[RQ-1 Predator|Predator drones]].<ref name="gpo">{{cite web|url=http://www.gpoaccess.gov/911/pdf/sec6.pdf |title=From Threat to Threat|access-date=February 5, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112165907/http://www.gpoaccess.gov/911/pdf/sec6.pdf |archive-date=January 12, 2012}} (pp. 189–90, 211–214)</ref> Even though the drones were not ready for deployment until 2002,<ref name="gpo" /> [[Daniel Benjamin]] and [[Steven Simon]] have argued that "these quarrels kept the Predator from being used against al Qaeda ... One anonymous individual who was at the center of the action called this episode 'typical' and complained that 'Rumsfeld never missed an opportunity to fail to cooperate. The fact is, the Secretary of Defense is an obstacle. He has helped the terrorists.'<ref>{{cite book|author1=Daniel Benjamin|author2=Steven Simon|title=The Next Attack|place=New York City|publisher=[[Times Books]]|year=2005|isbn=978-0-8050-7941-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/nextattackfailur00benj/page/161 161]|url=https://archive.org/details/nextattackfailur00benj/page/161}}</ref>

In December 2005, Rumsfeld again visited Kabul and met with the Afghan defense minister, [[Rahim Wardak]]. During the meeting, Rumsfeld expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the [[Afghan Army|Afghan army]] and attributed the worsening situation in Afghanistan to ineffective governance. He criticized the longstanding plan to expand the Afghan army to 70,000 troops and requested a reduction in the size of the Afghan army to 52,000 at most, claiming that this was necessary to "suit Afghanistan's limited revenues." Shortly after the trip, Rumsfeld also withdrew 3,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan and canceled the planned deployment of one army brigade headed there.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Malkasian |first1=Carter |title=The American War in Afghanistan: A History |date=2021 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-755077-9 |pages=131–132 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VPQuEAAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref>

In 2009, three years after Rumsfeld's tenure as Defense secretary ended, the [[United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations]] led an investigation into the [[Battle of Tora Bora]] in December 2001, during the early phase of the U.S-led coalition war in Afghanistan. They concluded that Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and General Franks had not committed enough troops during the battle to secure the area around Tora Bora. They believed that Al-Qaeda's number one leader [[Osama bin Laden]] had likely been at Tora Bora and his escape prolonged the war in Afghanistan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CPRT-111SPRT53709/html/CPRT-111SPRT53709.htm|title=TORA BORA REVISITED: HOW WE FAILED TO GET BIN LADEN AND WHY IT MATTERS TODAY|access-date=20 February 2022}}</ref> Rumsfeld and Franks were apparently motivated by fear that a substantial American presence near Tora Bora could incite a rebellion by local [[Pashtuns]], despite the latter's lack of organizational capability at the time and the fierce dissent voiced by many CIA analysts including [[Charles E. Allen]] (who warned Franks that "the back door [to [[Pakistan]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> was open") and [[Gary Berntsen]] (who called for [[United States Army Rangers|army rangers]] to "kill this baby in the crib"). Instead of rangers or [[United States Marine Corps|marines]], the U.S. assault on Tora Bora relied on the CIA-backed Afghan militias of [[Hazrat Ali (Afghan politician)|Hazrat Ali]] and [[Zahir Qadeer]], supplemented with [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress|B-52]] bombardment. The resulting influx of hundreds of al-Qaeda fighters into Pakistan destabilized the country and damaged [[Pakistan–United States relations]].<ref>{{cite book|author-link=Steve Coll|last=Coll|first=Steve|title=Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan|publisher=[[Penguin Group]]|year=2019|isbn=9780143132509|pages=102–111}}</ref> The follow-up [[Operation Anaconda]] "witnessed failures of planning and execution, the product of the fractured lines of command," as recounted by [[Steve Coll]].<ref>{{cite book|author-link=Steve Coll|last=Coll|first=Steve|title=Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan|publisher=[[Penguin Group]]|year=2019|isbn=9780143132509|pages=125–127}}</ref> In mid-2002, Rumsfeld announced that "The war is over in Afghanistan," to the disbelief of State Department, CIA, and military officials in the country. As a result, Rumsfeld downplayed the need for an Afghan army of even 70,000 troops, far fewer than the 250,000 envisaged by Karzai.<ref>{{cite book|author-link=Steve Coll|last=Coll|first=Steve|title=Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan|publisher=[[Penguin Group]]|year=2019|isbn=9780143132509|pages=134–135}}</ref>

===Iraq War===
[[File:Defense.gov News Photo 020311-D-2987S-018.jpg|thumb|Rumsfeld, accompanied by General [[Richard Myers]] and military representatives from the [[International Security Assistance Force]], speaks to the press on March 11, 2002.]]
[[File:Donald Rumsfeld Tommy Franks.jpg|thumb|right|Rumsfeld (left) and General [[Tommy Franks]] (right), commander of [[United States Central Command]], listen to a question at a Pentagon press conference on March 5, 2003.]]

Before and during the [[Iraq War]], Rumsfeld claimed that Iraq had an active [[weapons of mass destruction]] program; in particular during his famous phrase "[[there are known knowns]]" in a press conference at the Pentagon on February 12, 2002,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archive.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=2636 |title=Defense.gov News Transcript: DoD News Briefing – Secretary Rumsfeld and Gen. Myers |publisher=United States Department of Defense |access-date=June 30, 2021 |archive-date=September 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160905184152/http://archive.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=2636 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
no stockpiles were ever found.<ref name="Frontline who said" /><ref name="FactCheck 2005-09-02" /> Bush administration officials also claimed that there was an operational relationship between Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. A Pentagon Inspector General report found that Rumsfeld's top policy aide, [[Douglas J. Feith]], "developed, produced, and then disseminated alternative intelligence assessments on the Iraq and al-Qaeda relationship, which included some conclusions that were inconsistent with the consensus of the Intelligence Community, to senior decision-makers".<ref name="McClatchy 2007-02-07" />

The job of finding WMD and providing justification for the attack fell to the intelligence services, but, according to Kampfner, "Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz believed that, while the established security services had a role, they were too bureaucratic and too traditional in their thinking." As a result, "they set up what came to be known as the 'cabal', a cell of eight or nine analysts in a new [[Office of Special Plans|Office of Special Plans (OSP)]] based in the U.S. Defense Department." According to an unnamed Pentagon source quoted by Hersh, the OSP "was created in order to find evidence of what Wolfowitz and his boss, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, believed to be true—that Saddam Hussein had close ties to [[Al Qaeda]], and that Iraq had an enormous arsenal of chemical, biological, and possibly even nuclear weapons that threatened the region and, potentially, the United States".<ref name="Hersh" />

On January 22, 2003, after the German and French governments voiced opposition to invading Iraq, Rumsfeld labeled these countries as part of "[[Old Europe (politics)|Old Europe]]", implying that countries that supported the war were part of a newer, modern Europe.<ref>{{cite news |date=January 23, 2003 |title=Outrage at 'old Europe' remarks |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2687403.stm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100421002430/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2687403.stm |archive-date=April 21, 2010 |url-status=live |access-date=May 1, 2010}}</ref>

[[File:Defense.gov News Photo 031027-D-9880W-030.jpg|thumb|Romanian President [[Ion Iliescu]] (right) awards the [[Order of the Star of Romania|"Star of Romania"]] decoration to Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld.]]

After the war in Afghanistan was launched, Rumsfeld participated in a meeting in regard to the review of the Department of Defense's Contingency Plan in the event of a war with Iraq. The plan, as it was then conceived, contemplated troop levels of up to 500,000, which Rumsfeld felt was far too many. Gordon and Trainor wrote:

{{blockquote|As [General] Newbold outlined the plan ... it was clear that Rumsfeld was growing increasingly irritated. For Rumsfeld, the plan required too many troops and supplies and took far too long to execute. It was, Rumsfeld declared, the "product of old thinking and the embodiment of everything that was wrong with the military".<ref name="inside">Id.Gordon, Michael R. and Bernard E. Trainor, Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq, 2006. Book excerpt from the Denver Post</ref>}}

In a press conference at the Pentagon on February 27, 2003, Rumsfeld told reporters after being asked a question that Army Chief of Staff General [[Eric Shinseki]] suggested it would take several hundred thousand troops on the ground to secure Iraq and provide stability. Is he wrong?. Rumsfeld replied "the idea that it would take several hundred thousand U.S. forces I think is far from the mark. The reality is that we already have a number of countries that have offered to participate with their forces in stabilization activities, in the event force has to be used."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=1957|title=Secretary Rumsfeld Media Availability with Afghan President Karzai|publisher=United States Department of Defense|date=February 27, 2003|access-date=July 22, 2020|archive-date=July 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722060147/https://archive.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=1957|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Rumsfeld addressed the nation in a press conference at the Pentagon on March 20, 2003, just hours after the launch of the [[2003 Invasion of Iraq]], where he announced the first strike of the war to liberate Iraq and that "The days of the Saddam Hussein regime are numbered," and "We continue to feel there is no need for a broader conflict if the Iraqi leaders act to save themselves and act to prevent such a conflict."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=29267|title=Saddam's Days Numbered, Rumsfeld Says|publisher=United States Department of Defense|date=March 20, 2003|access-date=July 4, 2020|archive-date=July 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730012601/https://archive.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=29267|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Rumsfeld's role in directing the [[Iraq War]] included a plan that was the [[Shock and Awe]] campaign,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nationalinterest.org/feature/donald-rumsfeld-was-last-good-secretary-defense-188957|title=Donald Rumsfeld Was the Last Good Secretary of Defense|date=June 30, 2021|access-date=May 20, 2023}}</ref> which resulted in [[2003 invasion of Iraq|a lightning invasion]] with 145,000 soldiers on the ground<ref>Belasco, Amy (2 July 2009). [https://sgp.fas.org/crs/natsec/R40682.pdf "Troop Levels in the Afghan and Iraq Wars, FY2001-FY2012: Cost and Other Potential Issues"] (PDF). United States: Congressional Research Service. CRS Report R40682. Retrieved 30 March 2025. Table D-2.</ref> that took Baghdad within three weeks.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tyler |first=Patrick E. |date=2003-04-10 |title=A NATION AT WAR: COMBAT; U.S. FORCES TAKE CONTROL IN BAGHDAD; BUSH ELATED; SOME RESISTANCE REMAINS |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/10/world/nation-war-combat-us-forces-take-control-baghdad-bush-elated-some-resistance.html |access-date=2025-03-30 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Many government buildings, plus major museums, electrical generation infrastructure, and even oil equipment were looted and vandalized during the transition from the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime to the establishment of the [[Coalition Provisional Authority]]. A violent [[Iraqi insurgency (Iraq War)|insurrection]] began shortly after the military operation started.

On March 30, 2003, in an interview with [[George Stephanopoulos]] on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[This Week (American TV program)|This Week]]'' program, Rumsfeld answered a question by Stephanopoulos about finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Rumsfeld stated "We know where they are. They're in the area around [[Tikrit]] and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/30/international/worldspecial/comments-by-donald-rumsfeld-on-this-week.html|title=Comments by Donald Rumsfeld on 'This Week'|work=The New York Times|date=March 30, 2003|access-date=July 4, 2020|archive-date=July 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200706211247/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/30/international/worldspecial/comments-by-donald-rumsfeld-on-this-week.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

On April 9, 2003, at a press conference at the Pentagon, Rumsfeld addressed reporters during the [[Battle of Baghdad (2003)|Fall of Baghdad]], and stated "The scenes of free Iraqis celebrating in the streets, riding American tanks, tearing down the statues of Saddam Hussein in the center of Baghdad are breathtaking."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=2339 |title=DoD News Briefing – Secretary Rumsfeld and Gen. Myers |publisher=United States Department of Defense |date=April 9, 2003 |access-date=July 22, 2003 |archive-date=July 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200723040329/https://archive.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=2339 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

After the Iraq invasion, U.S. troops were criticized for not protecting the historical artifacts and treasures located at the [[National Museum of Iraq]]. On April 11, 2003, at a press conference at the Pentagon, when asked at the time why U.S. troops did not actively seek to stop the lawlessness, Rumsfeld replied, "Stuff happens ... and it's untidy and freedom's untidy, and free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things. They're also free to live their lives and do wonderful things. And that's what's going to happen here."<ref name="StuffHappens">{{cite web |url=https://archive.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=2367 |title=DoD News Briefing – Secretary Rumsfeld and Gen. Myers |date=April 11, 2003 |publisher=[[United States Department of Defense]] |access-date=May 29, 2019 |archive-date=February 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200211175226/https://archive.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=2367 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He further commented that, "The images you are seeing on television you are seeing over, and over, and over, and it's the same picture of some person walking out of some building with a vase, and you see it 20 times, and you think, "My goodness, were there that many vases?"<ref name="StuffHappens" />

On July 24, 2003, at a press conference at the Pentagon, Rumsfeld commented on the release of photographs of the deceased sons of Saddam Hussein, [[Uday Hussein]] and [[Qusay Hussein]]. "It is not a practice that the United States engages in on a normal basis," Rumsfeld said. "I honestly believe that these two are particularly bad characters and that it's important for the Iraqi people to see them, to know they're gone, to know they're dead, and to know they're not coming back." Rumsfeld also said, "I feel it was the right decision, and I'm glad I made it."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=2894|title=DoD News Briefing – Secretary Rumsfeld and Ambassador Bremer|publisher=United States Department of Defense|date=July 24, 2003|access-date=July 23, 2020|archive-date=July 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730013957/https://archive.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=2894|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=28678|title=Photos of Hussein Brothers' Bodies Provide Proof to Iraqis|publisher=United States Department of Defense|date=July 24, 2003|access-date=July 4, 2020|archive-date=September 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930015136/http://archive.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=28678|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/24/international/worldspecial/images-of-husseins-sons-met-with-joy-and.html|title=Images of Hussein's Sons Met With Joy and Skepticism|work=The New York Times|date=July 24, 2003|access-date=July 4, 2020|archive-date=July 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705051755/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/24/international/worldspecial/images-of-husseins-sons-met-with-joy-and.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In October 2003, Rumsfeld approved a secret Pentagon "roadmap" on public relations, calling for "boundaries" between information operations abroad and the news media at home. The Roadmap advances a policy according to which as long as the U.S. government does not intentionally target the American public, it does not matter that [[psychological operations]] reach the American public.<ref>{{cite book
 |work=National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book
 |publisher=[[National Security Archive]]
 |title=Rumsfeld's Roadmap to Propaganda
 |issue=177
 |editor=Kristin Adair
 |date=January 26, 2006
|url=http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB177/
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060204214137/http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB177/
 |archive-date=February 4, 2006
 |url-status=live
}}</ref>

On December 14, 2003, Rumsfeld in an interview with journalist [[Lesley Stahl]] on ''[[60 Minutes]]'' after U.S. forces captured [[Saddam Hussein]] in [[Operation Red Dawn]], stated, "Here was a man who was photographed hundreds of times shooting off rifles and showing how tough he was, and in fact, he wasn't very tough, he was cowering in a hole in the ground, and had a pistol and didn't use it, and certainly did not put up any fight at all. I think that ... he resulted in the death of an awful lot of Iraqi people, in the last analysis, he seemed not terribly brave."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/exclusive-rumsfeld-on-saddam/|title=Exclusive: Rumsfeld On Saddam|work=CBS News|date=December 14, 2003|access-date=July 4, 2020|archive-date=July 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705045637/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/exclusive-rumsfeld-on-saddam/|url-status=live}}</ref>

As Secretary of Defense, Rumsfeld was deliberate in crafting the public message from the Department of Defense. People will "rally" to the word "sacrifice", Rumsfeld noted after a meeting. "They are looking for leadership. Sacrifice = Victory." In May 2004, Rumsfeld considered whether to redefine the war on terrorism as a fight against "worldwide insurgency". He advised aides "to test what the results could be" if the war on terrorism were renamed.<ref name="FromDesk">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/31/AR2007103103095.html?hpid=topnews|title=From the Desk of Donald Rumsfeld ...|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=November 1, 2007|first=Robin|last=Wright|access-date=August 26, 2017|archive-date=February 5, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130205210652/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/31/AR2007103103095.html?hpid=topnews|url-status=live}}</ref> Rumsfeld also ordered specific public Pentagon attacks on and responses to U.S. newspaper columns that reported the negative aspects of the war.

During Rumsfeld's tenure, he regularly visited U.S. troops stationed in Iraq.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=26486|title=Rumsfeld Arrives in Baghdad to Visit Troops, Meet with Leaders|publisher=United States Department of Defense|date=May 13, 2004|access-date=July 5, 2020|archive-date=September 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930025222/http://archive.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=26486|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] reported that though Rumsfeld didn't specify a withdrawal date for troops in Iraq, "He says it would be unrealistic to wait for Iraq to be peaceful before removing U.S. led forces from the country, adding that Iraq had never been peaceful and perfect."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-09-25/us-troops-can-leave-before-iraq-peaceful-rumsfeld/557522 |newspaper=Australia Broadcasting Corporation |title=US troops can leave before Iraq peaceful: Rumsfeld |date=September 24, 2004 |access-date=April 28, 2018 |archive-date=October 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027203642/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-09-25/us-troops-can-leave-before-iraq-peaceful-rumsfeld/557522 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On August 2, 2006, at a press conference at the Pentagon, Rumsfeld commented on the [[Sectarian violence in Iraq (2006–2009)|sectarian violence in Iraq]] where he stated "there's sectarian violence; people are being killed. [[Sunnis]] are killing [[Shi'a]] and Shi'a are killing Sunnis. [[Kurds]] seem not to be involved. It's unfortunate, and they need a reconciliation process."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=3692 |title=DoD News Briefing with Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Peter Pace |publisher=United States Department of Defense |date=August 2, 2006 |access-date=July 22, 2020 |archive-date=July 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722174527/https://archive.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=3692 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On October 26, 2006, at a press conference at the Pentagon after the failure of [[Operation Together Forward]] in Iraq, Rumsfeld stated "Would defeat in Iraq be so bad?" Well, the answer is: Yes, it would be. Those who are fighting against the Iraqi government want to seize power so that they can establish a new sanctuary and a base of operations for terrorists and any idea that U.S. military leaders are rigidly refusing to make adjustments in their approaches is just flat wrong. The military is continuing to adapt and to adjust as required. Yes, there are difficulties and problems to be sure."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=3772 |title=DoD News Briefing with Secretary Rumsfeld from the Pentagon |publisher=United States Department of Defense |date=October 26, 2006 |access-date=July 22, 2020 |archive-date=July 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724142440/https://archive.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=3772 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

As a result, Rumsfeld stirred controversy as to whether the forces that did invade Iraq were enough in size.<ref name="inside" /> In 2006, Rumsfeld responded to a question by [[Brit Hume]] of [[Fox News]] as to whether he pressed General [[Tommy Franks]] to lower his request for 400,000 troops for the war:

{{blockquote|Absolutely not. That's a mythology. This town [Washington, D.C.] is filled with this kind of nonsense. The people who decide the levels of forces on the ground are not the Secretary of Defense or the President. We hear recommendations, but the recommendations are made by the combatant commanders and by members of the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]] and there hasn't been a minute in the last six years when we have not had the number of troops that the combatant commanders have requested.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/video2/player06.html?121406/121406_sr_rumsfeld&Special_Report&Final%20Interview&acc&Politics&-1&News&486&&&new |title=Special Report with Brit Hume |publisher=[[Fox News Channel]] |date=December 14, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102093658/http://www.foxnews.com/video2/player06.html?121406%2F121406_sr_rumsfeld&Special_Report&Final%20Interview&acc&Politics&-1&News&486&&&new |archive-date=November 2, 2012}}</ref>}}

Rumsfeld told Hume that Franks ultimately decided against such a troop level.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/glogin://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/13/us/13cnd-army.html&OQ=_rQ3D1Q26pagewantedQ3D1Q26hp&OP=1b367f6cQ2FAs5tAFLQ7EgQ20LLQ3EQ27AQ2744Q51A(4A(2A6gA(2Q7EHFQ5DJQ20dQ25chQ3Edo |newspaper=The New York Times |title=Blunt Talk About Iraq at Army School |first=Elisabeth |last=Bumiller |date=October 13, 2007 |access-date=May 1, 2010 |archive-date=June 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210630202720/https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/enter-email?response_type=cookie&client_id=lgcl&redirect_uri=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.nytimes.com%252F2007%252F10%252F13%252Fus%252F13cnd-army.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Throughout his tenure, Rumsfeld sought to remind the American people of the 9/11 attacks and threats against Americans, noting at one time in a 2006 memo to "[m]ake the American people realize they are surrounded in the world by violent extremists".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=MCJYFVHYHCMGNQFIQMGSFGGAVCBQWIV0?xml=/news/2007/11/02/wgulf402.xml |title=Rumsfeld 'kept up fear of terror attacks' |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=March 11, 2007 |location=London |first=Boris |last=Johnson |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 16, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071116052736/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml%3Bjsessionid%3DMCJYFVHYHCMGNQFIQMGSFGGAVCBQWIV0?xml=%2Fnews%2F2007%2F11%2F02%2Fwgulf402.xml}}</ref><ref name="FromDesk" /> According to a report by ''[[The Guardian]]'', Rumsfeld was allegedly including [[Bible|biblical]] quotes in top secret briefing papers to appeal George W Bush, known for his devout religious beliefs, to invade Iraq as more like "holy war" or "a religious crusade" against Muslims.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/may/18/rumsfeld-gq-iraq-bible-quotes-bush Iraq war briefings headlined with biblical quotes, reports US magazine] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321064920/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/may/18/rumsfeld-gq-iraq-bible-quotes-bush |date=March 21, 2020 }} ''The Guardian''</ref>

In a September 2007 interview with ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', General [[Mike Jackson (British Army officer)|Mike Jackson]], the head of the [[British army]] during the invasion, criticized Rumsfeld's plans for the invasion of Iraq as "intellectually bankrupt", adding that Rumsfeld is "one of those most responsible for the current situation in Iraq", and that he felt that "the US approach to combating global terrorism is 'inadequate' and too focused on military might rather than [[nation building]] and diplomacy."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/01/wirq601.xml |author1=Robert Watts |author2=Tim Shipman |title=Gen Sir Mike Jackson's attack draws US ire |work=[[The Sunday Telegraph]] |date=September 1, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017092732/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2007%2F09%2F01%2Fwirq601.xml |archive-date=October 17, 2007 |location=London |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In December 2004, Rumsfeld was heavily criticized for using a [[Autopen|signing machine]] instead of personally signing over 1000 letters of condolence to the families of soldiers killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan. He promised to personally sign all letters in the future.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.stripes.com/news/rumsfeld-to-personally-sign-all-condolence-letters-1.27255|title=Rumsfeld to personally sign all condolence letters|date=December 17, 2004|work=Stars and Stripes|access-date=October 20, 2017|archive-date=October 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171021005411/https://www.stripes.com/news/rumsfeld-to-personally-sign-all-condolence-letters-1.27255|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Prisoner abuse and torture concerns===
{{Further|Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse}}
[[File:Rumsfeld-4 hours a day.png|thumb|Comment from Rumsfeld: "I stand for 8–10 hours a day. Why is standing [by prisoners] limited to 4 hours?"]]
The Department of Defense's preliminary concerns for holding, housing, and interrogating captured prisoners on the battlefield were raised during the military build-up prior to the Iraq War. Because Saddam Hussein's military forces surrendered when faced with military action, many within the DOD, including Rumsfeld and United States Central Command General Tommy Franks, decided it was in the best interest of all to hand these prisoners over to their respective countries. Additionally, it was determined that maintaining a large holding facility was, at the time, unrealistic. Instead, the use of many facilities such as [[Abu Ghraib prison|Abu Ghraib]] to house prisoners of interest prior to handing them over, and Rumsfeld defended the Bush administration's decision to detain [[enemy combatant]]s. Because of this, critics, including members of the [[U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee]], held Rumsfeld responsible for the ensuing [[Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse]] scandal. Rumsfeld himself said: "These events occurred on my watch as Secretary of Defense. I am accountable for them."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/05/09/iraq.abuse.main.int/ |work=CNN|title=Rumsfeld 'the best' |date=May 9, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040511033734/http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/05/09/iraq.abuse.main.int/ |archive-date=May 11, 2004 |url-status=dead}}</ref> He offered his resignation to President Bush in the wake of the scandal, but it was not accepted.<ref>Bush, George W. (2010), p. 88</ref>

[[File:US Navy 041224-M-8096K-064 Secretary of Defense (SECDEF), Donald Rumsfeld takes a photo with some Marines at Camp Fallujah, Iraq.jpg|thumb|right|Rumsfeld poses with Marines during one of his trips to [[Camp Fallujah]], Iraq, on Christmas Eve 2004.]]

In a memo read by Rumsfeld detailing how [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp]] interrogators induced stress in prisoners by forcing them to remain standing in one position for a maximum of four hours, Rumsfeld scrawled a handwritten note on the memo reading: "I stand for 8–10 hours a day. Why is standing [by prisoners] limited to 4 hours? D.R."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-06-22-rumsfeld-abuse-usat_x.htm|title=Rumsfeld OK'd harsh treatment|date=June 23, 2004|work=[[USA Today]]|first1=John|last1=Diamond|access-date=May 1, 2010|archive-date=April 1, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100401132056/http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-06-22-rumsfeld-abuse-usat_x.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Various organizations, such as [[Human Rights Watch]], called for investigations of Rumsfeld regarding his involvement in managing the Iraq War and his support of the Bush administration's policies of "[[enhanced interrogation techniques]]", which are widely regarded as torture.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3966038,00.html |title=Bush Should Face Prosecution, Says UN Representative |date=January 21, 2009 |publisher=Deutsche Welle |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080601094302/http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0%2C%2C3966038%2C00.html |archive-date=June 1, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Amy |last=Goodman |author-link=Amy Goodman |url=https://www.democracynow.org/2005/4/25/getting_away_with_torture_human_rights |title=Getting Away with Torture? Human Rights Watch Calls for Accountability into U.S. Abuse of Detainees |work=[[Democracy Now!]] |date=April 25, 2005 |access-date=May 29, 2019 |archive-date=May 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190529145739/https://www.democracynow.org/2005/4/25/getting_away_with_torture_human_rights |url-status=live }}</ref>

Legal scholars have argued that Rumsfeld "might be held criminally responsible if [he] would be prosecuted by the [[International Criminal Court|ICC]]".<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Smeulers|first1=Alette|last2=van Niekirk|first2=Sander|title=Abu Ghraib and the War on Terror-A case against Donald Rumsfeld?|journal=Crime, Law and Social Change|year=2009|volume=51|issue=3–4|pages=327–349|doi=10.1007/s10611-008-9160-2|ssrn=2388266|s2cid=145710956|url=https://research.vu.nl/ws/files/2403096/215948.pdf|access-date=June 30, 2021|archive-date=June 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210630202658/https://research.vu.nl/ws/files/2403096/215948.pdf|url-status=live |issn = 0925-4994 }}</ref> In 2005 the [[ACLU]] and Human Rights First filed a lawsuit against Rumsfeld and other top government officials, "on behalf of eight men who they say were subjected to torture and abuse by U.S. forces under the command of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld".<ref name="USA Today">{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-03-01-CSM-torture_x.htm|work=USA Today|first=Faye|last=Bowers|title=Lawsuit blames Rumsfeld for overseas torture|date=March 1, 2005|access-date=August 26, 2017|archive-date=March 16, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316231714/http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-03-01-CSM-torture_x.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2005, a suit was filed against Rumsfeld by several human rights organizations for allegedly violating U.S. and international law that prohibits "torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment".<ref name="USA Today" /> [[Donald Vance]] and Nathan Ertel filed suit against the U.S. government and Rumsfeld on similar grounds, alleging that they were tortured and their rights of ''[[habeas corpus]]'' were violated.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/18/world/middleeast/18justice.html |title=Former U.S. Detainee in Iraq Recalls Torment |first=Michael |last=Moss |date=December 18, 2006 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=December 18, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213025358/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/18/world/middleeast/18justice.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 |url-status=live |archive-date=December 13, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/law/2011/08/09/donald-rumsfeld-faces-another-torture-lawsuit/|title=Donald Rumsfeld Faces Another Torture Lawsuit|author=Patrick G. Lee|date=August 9, 2011|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|access-date=August 4, 2017|archive-date=July 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709204920/https://blogs.wsj.com/law/2011/08/09/donald-rumsfeld-faces-another-torture-lawsuit/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://gulfnews.com/opinions/editorials/iraq-crimes-return-to-haunt-rumsfeld-1.849853 |title=Iraq crimes return to haunt Rumsfeld; Former US defence secretary can no longer deflect responsibility for abuse of detainees |date=August 11, 2011 |newspaper=[[Gulf News]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811062230/http://gulfnews.com/opinions/editorials/iraq-crimes-return-to-haunt-rumsfeld-1.849853 |url-status=live |archive-date=August 11, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://archive.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2011/08/09/rumsfeld_must_face_torture_suit_appeals_court_says/ |title=Rumsfeld must face torture suit, appeals court says |date=August 9, 2011 |website=[[The Boston Globe]]|publisher=[[Bloomberg News]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510072825/http://articles.boston.com/2011-08-09/news/29868919_1_appeals-court-interrogation-techniques-torture |archive-date=May 10, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2007, U.S. District Judge [[Thomas F. Hogan]] ruled that Rumsfeld could not "be held personally responsible for actions taken in connection with his government job".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032701338.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|first=Matt|last=Apuzzo|title=Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against Rumsfeld|date=March 28, 2007|access-date=August 26, 2017|archive-date=July 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703051216/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032701338.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The ACLU tried to revive the case in 2011 with no success.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/13/attempt-to-reinstate-tort_n_808621.html |title=Donald Rumsfeld Torture Lawsuit Fizzles, Again |date=January 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110117092206/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/13/attempt-to-reinstate-tort_n_808621.html |archive-date=January 17, 2011 |url-status=live |work=HuffPost |first=Dan |last=Froomkin}}</ref>

In 2004, German prosecutor [[Wolfgang Kaleck]] filed a criminal complaint charging Rumsfeld and 11 other U.S. officials as war criminals who either ordered the torture of prisoners or drafted laws that legitimated its use. The charges based on breaches of the UN Convention against Torture and the German Code of Crimes against International Law.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/14/world/americas/14iht-rumsfeld.3532840.html |title=Rumsfeld faces war crimes suit in Germany – Americas – International Herald Tribune |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 14, 206 |access-date=March 23, 2021 |archive-date=May 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505163249/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/14/world/americas/14iht-rumsfeld.3532840.html |url-status=live |last1=Landler |first1=Mark }}</ref>

Rumsfeld's disclosure of the whistleblower's identity during a Senate hearing, despite assurances to [[Joe Darby]] of his anonymity<ref name="Am I a Torturer? Mother Jones">[https://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2008/03/am-i-a-torturer.html Am I a Torturer? (Mother Jones)]</ref><ref name="When Joseph Comes Marching Home">{{cite news |date=May 17, 2004 |title=When Joseph Comes Marching Home |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32048-2004May16.html |accessdate=May 6, 2010 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref><ref>[http://unbossed.com/?p=870 unbossed.com » Thank You, Joseph Darby<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> led to shunning within the community, harassment and death threats against him and his family, resulting in them being taken into protective custody by the U.S. Army.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jackson |first1=John |title=A Toast to the Bravery and Sacrifice of Whistleblowers |website=HuffPost}}</ref> Darby would come to doubt the unintentionality of his public identification, though Rumsfeld sent him a letter stating there had been no malicious intent, the mention was meant as praise, that Rumsfeld was unaware of Darby's anonymity.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2007-08-05 |title=Abu Ghraib whistleblower's ordeal |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6930197.stm |access-date=2024-11-20 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

===Resignation===
[[File:Margaret Thatcher 060912-F-0193C-006.jpg|thumb|right|Rumsfeld with former British Prime Minister [[Margaret Thatcher]] alongside the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General [[Peter Pace]], 2006]]

Eight U.S. and other [[Member states of NATO|NATO-member]] retired generals and admirals called for Rumsfeld to resign in early 2006 in what was called the "Generals Revolt", accusing him of "abysmal" military planning and lack of strategic competence.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/14/washington/14military.html |work=The New York Times |title=More Retired Generals Call for Rumsfeld's Resignation |first1=David S. |last1=Cloud |first2=Eric |last2=Schmitt |date=April 14, 2006 |access-date=May 1, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109133044/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/14/washington/14military.html?pagewanted=all |archive-date=November 9, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Revenge of the battered generals |last=Baldwin |first=Tom |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article706556.ece |date=April 18, 2006 |work=[[The Times]] |location=London |access-date=August 22, 2008 |archive-date=May 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510022329/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article706556.ece |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/14/AR2006041401649_pf.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|title=Bush Speaks Out for Rumsfeld|first1=Peter|last1=Baker|first2=Josh|last2=White|access-date=May 1, 2010|archive-date=June 29, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629021426/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/14/AR2006041401649_pf.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Commentator [[Pat Buchanan]] reported at the time that ''[[Washington Post]]'' columnist [[David Ignatius]], who traveled often to Iraq and supported the war, said the generals "mirror the views of 75 percent of the officers in the field, and probably more".<ref>{{cite web |first=Patrick J. |last=Buchanan |work=[[The Free Lance–Star]] |author-link=Pat Buchanan |title=Smackdown 2006: The Generals Vs. Rumsfeld for the Top Prize |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OYw1AAAAIBAJ&pg=2539,7675827 |access-date=March 31, 2020 |archive-date=June 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624155019/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OYw1AAAAIBAJ&pg=2539,7675827 |url-status=live }}</ref> Rumsfeld rebuffed these criticisms, stating, "out of thousands and thousands of admirals and generals, if every time two or three people disagreed we changed the secretary of defense of the United States, it would be like a merry-go-round."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/id/2139847/#sb2140026 |title=How many retired generals are there? |author=Daniel Engber |work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |archive-date=April 17, 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060417173552/http://www.slate.com/id/2139847/#sb2140026}}</ref> Bush defended Rumsfeld throughout and responded by stating that Rumsfeld is "exactly what is needed".<ref>{{cite news|date=April 14, 2006 |title=Bush: Rumsfeld 'exactly what is needed' |work=CNN|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/14/iraq.rumsfeld/index.html |access-date=May 1, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100826093036/http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/14/iraq.rumsfeld/index.html |archive-date=August 26, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Bush and Rumsfeld shakes hands, November 8, 2006.jpg|thumb|right|Rumsfeld shakes President Bush's hand as he announces his resignation, November 8, 2006.]]
On November 1, 2006, Bush stated he would stand by Rumsfeld as defense secretary for the length of his term as president.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6421567 |publisher=[[NPR]] |date=November 2, 2006 |first=Don |last=Gonyea |title=Bush Voices Support for Rumsfeld, Cheney |access-date=May 29, 2019 |archive-date=May 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190529145751/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6421567 |url-status=live }}</ref> Rumsfeld wrote a resignation letter dated November 6, 2006, and, per the stamp on the letter, Bush saw it on [[Election Day (United States)|Election Day]], November 7, 2006.<ref name="Reuters2007-08-15">{{cite news|first=Kristin |last=Roberts |title=Rumsfeld resigned before election, letter shows |date=August 15, 2007 |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-rumsfeld-resignation/rumsfeld-resigned-before-election-letter-shows-idUSN1524505720070815 |publisher=[[Yahoo! News]] |access-date=August 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120726104051/https://www.reuters.com/article/2007/08/15/us-usa-rumsfeld-resignation-idUSN1524505720070815 |archive-date=July 26, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> In the [[2006 United States general elections|elections]], the House and the Senate shifted to Democratic control. After the elections on November 8, 2006, Bush announced Rumsfeld would resign his position as Secretary of Defense. Many Republicans were unhappy with the delay, believing they would have won more votes if voters had known Rumsfeld was resigning.<ref name="Reuters2007-08-15" />

Bush nominated [[Robert Gates]] to succeed Rumsfeld.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/6130296.stm |work=BBC News |title=Rumsfeld replaced after poll loss |date=November 9, 2006 |access-date=May 1, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110512060317/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/6130296.stm |archive-date=May 12, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/rice-offered-to-resign-following-bushs-2004-re-election |publisher=[[Fox News Channel]] |title=Rice Offered to Resign Following Bush's 2004 Re-Election |first=James |last=Rosen |author-link=James Rosen (journalist) |date=October 2, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140316014334/http://www.foxnews.com/story/2006/10/02/rice-offered-to-resign-following-bush-2004-re-election/ |archive-date=March 16, 2014 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 16, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Rumsfeld quitting as defense secretary |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/08/rumsfeld/index.html |publisher=[[CNN]] |date=November 9, 2006 |access-date=November 8, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061108231100/http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/08/rumsfeld/index.html |archive-date=November 8, 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref> On December 15, 2006, a farewell ceremony, with an armed forces full honor review and a [[21-gun salute|19-gun salute]], was held at the Pentagon Mall Terrace in honor of the departing Rumsfeld.<ref>{{cite web |title=Secretary Rumsfeld Farewell Ceremony |url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?195815-1/secretary-rumsfeld-farewell-ceremony |website=www.c-span.org |publisher=[[C-SPAN]] |access-date=6 July 2021 |language=en-us |date=December 15, 2006 |archive-date=October 31, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031113023/https://www.c-span.org/video/?195815-1%2Fsecretary-rumsfeld-farewell-ceremony |url-status=live }}</ref>