Donald Rumsfeld

Donald Rumsfeld resigned after serving two times as Secretary of Defense. Donald Rumsfeld served as Secretary of Defense under President Ford in 1975 to 1977 and from 2001 to December 6, 2006 under President George W. Bush. Mr. Rumsfeld is the longest serving Secretary of Defense in our history. In February 2005, Mr. Rumsfeld had submitted his resignation twice to President Bush, who had refused his resignation. The attempts for resignation had occurred during the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal. Robert Gates was confirmed as his heir to the office of Secretary of Defense.

Many events led to the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. On April 13, 2006, eight retired generals called for Rumsfeld to resign. It is believed that Donald Rumsfeld added himself gratuitously into military decision making, and ignored advice from military leaders. The mid-term elections in which Democrats took over the U.S. House of Representatives led to President Bush’s decision for Mr. Rumsfeld’s resignation. The heat from the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal had led to Donald Rumsfeld’s attempt at resignation twice.

General Swannack, who had led the 82nd Airborne Division located in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina stated, "We need to continue to fight the global war on terror and keep it off our shores. I do not believe Secretary Rumsfeld is the right person to fight that war based on his absolute failures in managing the war against Saddam in Iraq." General Swannack became the fifth retired general to call for Donald Rumsfeld’s dismissal. No active duty officers have called for Donald Rumsfeld’s resignation. Retired and active duty officers had to promise secrecy before they could speak publicly about their views and opinions on the criticism of Donald Rumsfeld. Senior officers were concerned about their military careers, repercussions that would occur, damage to the military resulting from enlarging the debate, and communicating outside of the circle. Many currently serving officers believe opinions should be saved for private discussion rather than out in the open.

Military criticism for Donald Rumsfeld dates back to 2001, when he was selected as the Secretary of Defense. Rumsfeld wanted more civilian control over the military, and a slimmer, faster force, which caused senior leaders to have doubts about his leadership. General Swannack stated that “Mr. Rumsfeld had micromanaged the war in Iraq, rather than leaving it to senior commanders there, including Gen. George W. Casey Jr. of the Army, the top American officer in Iraq, and Gen. John P. Abizaid of the Army, the top officer in the Middle East. "My belief is Rumsfeld does not really understand the dynamic of counterinsurgency warfare." Although General Swannack feels that Donald Rumsfeld’s micromanaging caused hostility, others feel it is his aggressiveness. President Bush had stated he would keep Donald Rumsfeld on for the rest of his term, but only one day after the Democratic Party took over the U.S. House of Representatives, President Bush announced Donald Rumsfeld’s resignation. President Bush wants to work with the Democrats and find a common ground on the war in Iraq and national issues.