The creation of a European defense force under European Union was the big white elephant at the Meeting of NATO ministers. No one really talked about it, the representatives of Britain, France and Germany affirming the primacy of NATO in "trans-Atlantic security." Rumsfeld himself came out to say that he supports the development of the EUDP, so long as it is NATO friendly.

What does NATO friendly mean? Confined to being a continental gendarmerie. What Rumsfeld wants is a force that will only act within Europe after NATO has refused a specific mission. One could surmise that Rumsfeld wishes to cofine any emerging European military force: he would oppose the establishing of a Rapid Response Force, which appears to be the direction that EU defense policy is headed.