Donald Rumsfeld

Donald Rumsfeld (born July 9, 1932, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.—died June 29, 2021, Taos, New Mexico) was a U.S. government official who served as secretary of defense (1975–77; 2001–06) in the Republican administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford and George W. Bush.

After graduating from Princeton University (A.B., 1954), Rumsfeld served three years as an aviator in the U.S. Navy. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1962 and was subsequently reelected three times. He resigned from Congress in 1969 to head Pres. Richard Nixon’s Office of Economic Opportunity. In 1973–74 Rumsfeld was Nixon’s ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Under President Ford, Rumsfeld served first as White House chief of staff (1974–75), then as secretary of defense (1975–77), the youngest person ever to hold that post. As defense secretary, Rumsfeld established the B-1 strategic bomber, the Trident ballistic missile submarine, and MX (Peacekeeper) intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) programs.

After Ford’s loss to Jimmy Carter, Rumsfeld entered the private sector. From 1977 to 1985 he was CEO, president, and then chairman of G.D. Searle & Co., a pharmaceutical firm. He was chairman and CEO of General Instrument Corp. from 1990 to 1993 and later served as chairman of Gilead Sciences, Inc. Rumsfeld chaired the Commission to Assess the Ballistic Missile Threat to the United States. That commission’s findings were released in 1998 in a document commonly known as the “Rumsfeld report.” The report, which claimed that a so-called rogue state such as North Korea or Iran could—but not necessarily would—build a ballistic missile capable of striking the continental United States within five years, spurred debate over proposals to build a national missile defense system.

Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.

SIGN UP

By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

1 of 2

2 of 2

In 2001 Rumsfeld became secretary of defense under President Bush. In addition to his continued support of a national missile defense system, he sought to modernize and streamline the military. Following the September 11 attacks later that year, Rumsfeld oversaw the U.S.-led attack on Afghanistan that resulted in the overthrow of the Taliban, which was harboring Osama bin Laden—mastermind of the September 11 and other terrorist attacks against U.S. targets—and other al-Qaeda members.

In March 2003 U.S. forces launched an invasion of Iraq (see Iraq War). The regime of Iraqi Pres. Ṣaddām Ḥussein was quickly toppled, and Rumsfeld initially earned praise for his handling of the war. However, as fighting continued, some accused him of deploying an inadequate number of troops. He faced further criticism in 2004 when photographs of U.S. soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad were published. Following the 2006 midterm elections—in which the Republicans suffered heavy losses, in large part because of the growing opposition to the Iraq War—Rumsfeld announced his resignation. He was replaced by Robert M. Gates in December 2006.

In his memoir, Known and Unknown (2011), Rumsfeld defended his handling of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Rumsfeld’s Rules: Leadership Lessons in Business, Politics, War, and Life (2013) comprised guidelines he had written out on note cards during his career, fleshed out with observations from historical figures and personal acquaintances. Rumsfeld was the subject of the Errol Morris documentary The Unknown Known (2013). The film consisted of a series of interviews about his life and his government service. In early 2021 he and other former secretaries of defense wrote a letter in which they stated that U.S. armed forces should not be used to settle election disputes. This came as Pres. Donald Trump refused to concede to Joe Biden, alleging—without evidence—widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election; Trump ultimately left office at the conclusion of his term.