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Originally Posted by August
Rumsfeld wanted a more balanced and mobile force that could react more quickly and accomplish a wider range of missions in order to meet the requirements of 21st century warfare. Especially needed were medium units to fill the gap between heavy and light forces and units that could operate successfully in low intensity urban warfare environments.
That vision was opposed by a Pentagon old boy network whose philosophy, tactics and organization were based on heavy conventional forces designed to slug it out with Soviet Tank armies around the Fulda gap. Rather than support their bosses efforts like they were supposed to, the old boy network generals drug their feet and threw monkey wrenches into the works until Rumsfeld fired them and replaced them with others that would do what he wanted, then from the safety of retirement they wrote revenge books criticizing his efforts that played right into the hands of the administrations enemies.
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The idea that the people Rumsfeld fired were trying to impede the reshaping of the military, particularly the Army, is hogwash. Perhaps the highest profile firings of military leaders were Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki, who is the guy who started the reformation of the Army long before Rumsfeld was SECDEF(for the second time), as well as the entire concept of Transformation,(take a look at this
Frontline interview, from before Bush was elected) and Secretary of the Army Thomas White, who was equally committed to the concept. These guys weren't fired because they opposed transformation, they were fired because they told the truth when asked how many troops would be needed to invade and occupy Iraq, which was more than Rumsfeld wanted. Rumsfeld is a micromanaging, abrasive leader with an enormous ego, his choices speak for themselves, he has got to go.
Just about everything you need to know about Rumsfeld is Here:
Frontline: Rumsfeld's War