Weinberger Dies at 88

Weinberger Dies at 88: Caspar W. Weinberger, Defense Secretary during the Reagan Administration, died March 28, at a medical center in Bangor, Maine, from pneumonia. He was 88. Weinberger, who spearheaded the largest peacetime buildup of the US military, including overseeing President Reagan’s “Star Wars” missile defense program, also developed what came to be known as the Weinberger Doctrine—a list of six major tests that should govern whether the US sends its military forces into battle. Speaking at the Air Force Association national convention in 1999, Weinberger said that there should be “a great deal more” to a decision to commit troops to action “than whether it serves some temporary diplomatic cause … [or] political situation at the time.” (Read more in “The Use of Force” and “About the ‘Powell Doctrine” from 1999.)