Former US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld dies aged 88

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Former US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld dies aged 88

10:25 CAT | 30 Jun 2021

Donald Rumsfeld, the former US defense secretary, has died at the age of 88

Donald Rumsfeld, a two-time US defense secretary who was the main architect of the Iraq war, has died, his family said in a statement.

Donald Rumsfeld, the former US defense secretary who was the main architect of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, has died at the age of 88, his family said on Wednesday.

“It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Donald Rumsfeld, an American statesman and devoted husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather. At 88, he was surrounded by family in his beloved Taos, New Mexico,” the family said in a statement.

A statement from the family of Donald Rumsfeld: pic.twitter.com/AlKYxVvqgF

— Donald Rumsfeld (@RumsfeldOffice) June 30, 2021

“History may remember him for his extraordinary accomplishments over six decades of public service, but for those who knew him best and whose lives were forever changed as a result, we will remember his unwavering love for his wife Joyce, his family and friends and the integrity he brought to a life dedicated to country.”

What did Rumsfeld do as defense secretary?

He served in the post twice. Rumsfeld was defense secretary under Gerald Ford from 1975 to 1977 and President George W Bush from 2001 to 2006, before resigning from the position amid the turmoil in post-war Iraq.

Under President Ford, he was the youngest person to ever hold that office after being appointed at the age of 43.

In his second stint as Pentagon chief in 2001 – then the oldest ever at the age of 74 – he promised to slash military bureaucracy, seeking to make it leaner and more agile.

But the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York put the focus on lengthy and costly military interventions abroad.

Rumsfeld was one of the loudest voices in support of the Bush administration’s ‘war on terror’, overseeing the US military’s response against Al-Qaida in Afghanistan and backing the use of Guantanamo Bay to detain suspected extremists without charge.

In 2002, his focus shifted to toppling Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, with the US leading a so-called coalition of the willing made up of a handful of allies such as the UK, Spain and Portugal.

What about his early life?

Born in Chicago in 1932, Rumsfeld graduated from Princeton University and would later serve on active duty in the US Navy from 1954-57.

Later, he became staffer on Capitol Hill and worked as an investment banker.

Rumsfeld, a Republican, entered Congress representing Illinois in 1960 at the age of 30, and was re-elected in 1964, 1966, and 1968, according to his official congressional biography.

In 1975, he took up the position of Defense Secretary for the first time under Gerald Ford, who would later award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian award.

Rumsfeld quit politics for business in 1977, enjoying a successful career in the pharmaceutical and technology industries.

After working in the private sector for 23 years, Rumsfeld returned to his formerly held position, assuming the role of the 21st secretary of Defense in Bush’s administration. He was appointed to that role in January 2001.

Source: Deutsche Welle