Rumsfeld's Accomplishments

In his own words, from Defense Link:

*Supporting military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan while putting pressure on terrorists around the globe;
*Delivering aid to millions of people affected by devastating natural disasters: the tsunami in the Indian Ocean, the earthquake in Pakistan, and Hurricane Katrina along the U.S. Gulf Coast;
*Training counterterrorism forces in the Philippines and Horn of Africa;
*Putting in place an initial missile defense system to protect Americans from rogue states;
*Establishing the new Northern Command to better protect the homeland;
*Standing guard over some of the world’s most dangerous terrorists, at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, while suffering what he called “grossly uninformed and irresponsible charges in the media and from almost every quarter;”
*Overseeing the largest domestic base realignment and closure in DoD’s history;
*Implementing the most sweeping changes in the U.S. global force posture since World War II while transforming from a Cold War posture to one suited to the 21st century;
*Putting in place a new National Security Personnel System for civilian employees that adds flexibility in hiring and assignments and links pay to performance;
*Bolstering special operations forces to meet new demands of the global struggle against violent extremists; and
*Transitioning the Army from a division-based force to a more agile and more capable combat brigade force.

For more on Rummy's last day, see below.