HONOLULU -- In a leaked memo that caused a stir in Washington and throughout the far-flung American military forces last week, U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld asked: "Is the DoD [Department of Defense] changing fast enough to meet the new 21st Century security environment?"
From this perch in the Pacific, the answer is a resounding "no." Here are a couple of suggestions for bold moves the Pentagon might make to speed things along, including a revision of the commands in the Asia-Pacific region:
* Streamline the Defense Department by abolishing the three anachronistic departments of the army, navy and air force. This would eliminate about half of the senior positions in the Pentagon's bloated bureaucracy and make the secretary of defense the master of his own house.