Ex-US defence secretary Rumsfeld

Donald Rumsfeld, the two-time US defence secretary and one-time presidential candidate, enjoyed a reputation as a skilled bureaucrat and visionary of a modern US military, but was soiled by the long and costly Iraq war.

He died at the age of 88, “surrounded by family in his beloved Taos, New Mexico”, his relatives said in a statement on Wednesday night.

Mr Rumsfeld was regarded by former colleagues as smart and combative, patriotic and politically cunning, and had a storied career under four presidents and nearly a quarter of a century in corporate America.

In 2001 he began a second time as Pentagon chief under George W Bush, but his plan to “transform” the armed forces was overshadowed by the September 11 terrorist attacks.

He oversaw the US invasion of Afghanistan and the 2003 overthrow of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, where he was blamed for setbacks including the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal and for being slow to recognise a violent insurgency.

After retiring in 2008 he headed the Rumsfeld Foundation to promote public service and to work with charities that provide support for military families and veterans.

Rummy, as he was often called, was ambitious, witty, energetic, engaging and capable of great personal warmth, but he irritated many with his confrontational style.

An accomplished wrestler in college, he relished verbal sparring and elevated it to an art form, with biting humour a favourite weapon.

He built a network of loyalists who admired his work ethic, intelligence and impatience with all who failed to share his sense of urgency.

Mr Rumsfeld is the only person to serve twice as Pentagon chief. The first time, in 1975-77, he was the youngest ever. The next time, in 2001-06, he was the oldest.

He made a brief run for the 1988 Republican presidential nomination, a spectacular flop he described as humbling for a man used to success at the highest levels of government, including stints as White House chief of staff, US ambassador and member of Congress.

For all his achievements, it is the setbacks in Iraq in the twilight of his career that are likely to be the most vivid features of his legacy.

Mr Rumsfeld twice offered his resignation to President Bush in 2004 amid disclosures that US troops had abused detainees at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison.

Mr Rumsfeld is survived by his wife Joyce, three children and seven grandchildren.

Donald Rumsfeld served twice as the Pentagon chief.