Bush Team Visits Pentagon

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10, 2001 – President-elect George W. Bush and his foreign policy team visited the Pentagon Jan. 10 for a briefing from outgoing Defense Secretary William S. Cohen and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Accompanying Bush was Vice President-elect Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary-designee Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State-designee Colin Powell and Adviser for National Security nominee Condoleezza Rice.

President-elect George W. Bush and Vice President-elect Dick Cheney talk to reporters before their meeting with Gen. Henry H. Shelton and Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen in the Pentagon. DoD photo by Mamie M. Burke.   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Cohen and Army Gen. Henry Shelton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met the party at the River Entrance of the Pentagon. They escorted the party to the Joint Chiefs' “Tank,” a secure briefing room.

Cohen said he briefed Bush on the overall strategic policies of the U.S. military and the state of DoD. He also told Bush that the budget for DoD has increased and that current projections call for $227 billion more money for defense over the next six years. Cohen, who spoke at the National Press Club later in the day, said the increase shows the importance both parties attach to national defense.