That’s how Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld describes the state of US government operations in the 21st century. The substance of his remarks during a speech before the Council on Foreign Relations described the considerable disadvantage facing the US in the public opinion realm compared to violent extremists who have “media relations committees.” Rumsfeld wants to transform DOD’s public affairs force from a reactive, eight-hour-day activity to a proactive 24/7 operation. Without doing so, he says, leaves the US with an “unacceptably dangerous deficiency.”
Clearing jungle and laying asphalt in tropical heat may not sound like fun to most people, but it’s a way of life for Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers (RED HORSE) Airmen, who have spent the past year or so restoring World War II-era airfields on the Pacific…