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HISTORY ON C-SPAN.ORG
 Secretaries of Defense 
 The careers of five Secretaries of Defense are higlighted through biographical information as well as historic newsreels, press conferences and interviews seen on C-SPAN's American Profiles and Booknotes.
 HISTORY OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE


 
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OVERVIEW | HISTORY | FORRESTAL
MARSHALL | MCNAMARA
CHENEY | RUMSFELD
 
 DONALD RUMSFELD 
  • Current Secretary of Defense
  • Born July 9, 1932 in Chicago, Illinois
  • Secretary of Defense under President Ford
  • Role of the U.S military has changed dramatically since 1975
  • Has indicated that he favors building an impenetrable national
    m missile defense system
  • He and VP Dick Cheney have strong ties that date back to the
    m Nixon administration, when Cheney served as Rumsfield's
    m assistant in the Office of Economic Opportunity
  • Led President Ford's transition team in 1974, and he brought
    m Cheney, his protégé, to the executive office
  • Secretary of Defense 1975/77 in Ford administration
  • Served in Congress from 1962-1969 as a representative from
    m Illinois
  • When President Carter was elected, Rumsfeld entered
    m the private sector
  • Recently headed a panel that concluded countries such as North
    m Korea and Iran could eventually have the capacity to launch
    m ballistic missiles at the United States
  • Commission's report helped to reinvigorate the debate over
    m the need for a national defense missile
    WATCHPRESS BRIEFING, DEF. SEC. RUMSFELD AND JOINTS CHIEF OF STAFF RICHARD MYERS - JAN. 29, 2003
     WATCH"AMERICAN PROFILE" INTERVIEW - July 18, 2001
      
      


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