Defense secretary defends Bush's order to review military needs

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld Sunday defended President Bush's decision to order a review of the Pentagon's needs, insisting the new commander in chief was not waffling on his campaign promise to build up the military.

But a top Senate Democrat said the new president appeared to be breaking a pledge. Rumsfeld disagreed with such a suggestion.

"What it means is that the president decided to engage our brains rather than open the taxpayers' wallets immediately, and what he wants to do is to conduct a quick, prompt review," Rumsfeld said on "Fox News Sunday."

"It's not going to take years, and it's not going to take days. It'll take some months," Rumsfeld added. "And then we will go back to the president with our recommendations as to what we believe are the priorities and what needs to be done."

On the campaign trail, Bush repeatedly faulted the Democratic Clinton administration, saying it ignored defense needs. Bush made increased funding for the military a consistent campaign theme.

Last week Bush said he did not support an early supplemental -- or extra spending -- for the military's budget, saying a "top-to-bottom review" should be the first order of business.

Lawmakers critical of Bush stand

Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Connecticut, last year's defeated vice presidential candidate, said Bush appeared to be reneging on a campaign promise. "It could well be the first significant flip-flop of the Bush administration," he told CBS's "Face the Nation."

Last week Bush promised to seek a $4.5 billion increase in the Pentagon's $309 billion budget -- roughly $1 billion of that for a military pay raise and other quality-of-life improvements. But the Pentagon says it needs $5 billion to $7 billion now.

Bush's stand has irked some lawmakers, particularly Republicans, who had rallied around his campaign cry for even more spending on the military.

Nine Republican senators, including John Warner, R-Virginia, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, sent the president a letter stating that a defense supplemental is "the only way to address some of the critical readiness and quality-of-life problems."

Rumsfeld, making his Sunday morning talk show debut as Bush's defense secretary, said additional money "may indeed" materialize, and he noted Bush's commitment to a pay increase for men and women in uniform.

The president is scheduled to visit three military bases this week, starting with Fort Stewart in Georgia, where Bush is expected to focus on quality-of-life issues.

Missile defense plan 'very reasonable,' Rumsfeld says

Rumsfeld also defended Bush's plan to develop a national missile defense system, calling it a "very reasonable" proposal.

"What we know is that with the end of the Cold War, proliferation has spread these technologies and weapons of mass destruction around the globe," he said. "Any president looking at his responsibilities as commander in chief would have to say that a policy that is designed to keep the American people totally vulnerable does not make much sense."

Many Democrats and leaders of other nations have criticized the proposal, saying it could lead to another arms buildup. They also said it would violate the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with Russia.

"We'll have time to consult with our allies and to consult with our friends around the world and obviously to engage in discussion with the Russians," Rumsfeld said.

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