October 16, 2003

TO: Gen. Dick Myers
Paul Wolfowitz
Gen. Pete Pace
Doug Feith

FROM: Donald Rumsfeld

SUBJECT: Global War on Terrorism

The questions I posed to combatant commanders this week were: Are we winning or
losing the Global War on Terror? Is DoD changing fast enough to deal with the
new 21st century security environment? Can a big institution change fast enough?
Is the USG changing fast enough?

DoD has been organized, trained and equipped to fight big armies, navies and air
forces. It is not possible to change DoD fast enough to successfully fight the
global war on terror; an alternative might be to try to fashion a new
institution, either within DoD or elsewhere - one that seamlessly focuses the
capabilities of several departments and agencies on this key problem.

With respect to global terrorism, the record since Septermber 11th seems to be:

We are having mixed results with Al Qaida, although we have put
considerable pressure on them - nonetheless, a great many remain
at large.

USG has made reasonable progress in capturing or killing the top 55
Iraqis.

USG has made somewhat slower progress tracking down the Taliban -
Omar, Hekmatyar, etc.

With respect to the Ansar Al-Islam, we are just getting started.

Have we fashioned the right mix of rewards, amnesty, protection and confidence
in the US?

Does DoD need to think through new ways to organize, train, equip and focus to
deal with the global war on terror?

Are the changes we have and are making too modest and incremental? My impression
is that we have not yet made truly bold moves, although we have have made many
sensible, logical moves in the right direction, but are they enough?

Today, we lack metrics to know if we are winning or losing the global war on
terror. Are we capturing, killing or deterring and dissuading more terrorists
every day than the madrassas and the radical clerics are recruiting, training
and deploying against us?

Does the US need to fashion a broad, integrated plan to stop the next generation
of terrorists? The US is putting relatively little effort into a long-range
plan, but we are putting a great deal of effort into trying to stop terrorists.
The cost-benefit ratio is against us! Our cost is billions against the
terrorists’ costs of millions.

Do we need a new organization?

How do we stop those who are financing the radical madrassa schools?

Is our current situation such that “the harder we work, the behinder
we get”?

It is pretty clear that the coalition can win in Afghanistan and Iraq in one way
or another, but it will be a long, hard slog.

Does CIA need a new finding?

Should we create a private foundation to entice radical madradssas to a more
moderate course?

What else should we be considering?

Please be prepared to discuss this at our meeting on Saturday or Monday.

Thanks.

-
As published in USA Today.