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DOD NEWS BRIEFING: Secretary Rumsfeld and Gen. Pace
Tuesday, July 30, 2002
Presenter: Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld

Also participating was Gen. Peter Pace, vice chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff



Q: My question: Would it then follow that any military attempt to oust Saddam would be much more daunting than that? Would it be likely to require ground troops as well as air power?



Rumsfeld: I don't know that I'd want to make a judgment on anything regarding that, because it would conceivably leave the wrong impression, and I could make -- I already know of one instance: If the Iraqi military turned on them, it probably wouldn't require anything.



United States Department of Defense
Rumsfeld: Well, good afternoon.

Yesterday I visited Suffolk, Virginia, to meet with the Joint Forces Command. The command is leading the transformation of our military forces for the new challenges for the 21st century. It was quite a remarkable and exciting display of ideas and innovation that are really energizing the work we do. It was a very good reminder that if we do not change in the defense establishment and improve our military, that our enemies will surely be improving theirs.

I had the pleasure of being with Kristin Krohn Devold, the Norwegian minister of defense, there. She was visiting the Joint Forces Command
because of the importance that transformation has for our NATO allies, as well as for the United States. Norway, of course, is a valuable ally in Operation Enduring Freedom. They provide troops, funds and services for the war against terror. The minister and I discussed the fact that both of our nations need to transform our militaries, and we recognize the importance of joint and combined, as well as coalition, capabilities.

The Joint Forces Command is capitalizing on the information revolution, as it must, and on the advanced technologies that exist today. They are testing the forces and equipment for the near term and for the future. It's developing new concepts of war-fighting and testing those concepts through joint experiments and training both forces and leaders to operate effectively in joint operations.

The most powerful example of their success in the war we are now waging against terror -- is in the war we're now waging against terrorism, and we certainly owe our men and women in uniform the best tools, the best training, the best technology and the best organization and leadership.

I have a lot of respect for General Buck Kernan and his team at the Joint Forces Command and the work they're doing. They're doing an excellent job. They're making our military stronger, more interoperable, more responsive and agile. And as a result, they're making America safer.
(More: DoD News Source)
2002 © The United States Department of Defense.

Dan