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Don Rumsfeld, Radical for our Time: The defense secretary has ushered in a new era, whose contours we have barely glimpsed.

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The Taliban defeated without American infantry, and at a cost of fewer than ten U.S. fatalities? Ten thousand Special Operations troops turned loose to work independently in northern Iraq? Not one traditional armored division on the ground near Baghdad? Thousands of GIs rumored soon to be redeployed out of Germany? Troops in the DMZ eyeing transfer southward to Pusan? Past draftees characterized as not as effective as present volunteer professionals? A secretary of defense going head-to- head with seasoned and cynical Washington reporters -- and coming off as their moral and intellectual superior?

These are all aspects of the same fundamental question: What exactly is going on with the American military? Not since secretary of war Edwin M. Stanton poked his head into every department of the Union Army and Robert McNamara tried to apply corporate business procedures to the Pentagon bureaucracy has a U.S. official exercised such political and military influence as Donald Rumsfeld. But while Stanton was politically inept and McNamara failed at war, so far -- 27 months into his tenure -- Rumsfeld is showing every sign of success. At home, he is steamrolling angry generals and balky diplomats; on the battlefield, he has crushed the Taliban and Saddam Hussein.

But what exactly is Rumsfeld's vision for the future of the U.S. military? The public is unsure, because an array of critics -- out of either self-interest or simple ignorance -- has caricatured his attempt to reform the armed forces. Their reservoir of ill-will broke out into hysteria during the race to Baghdad, when a pause in fighting -- occasioned by horrendous weather conditions and necessary resupply efforts -- touched off an eruption of anti-Rumsfeld rhetoric among a few retired generals who had found employment as TV pontificators. Before 9/11, Rumsfeld's efforts to refashion the American military were largely ignored; but they are now being showcased on the world stage, and will be judged on their effectiveness.

One key Rumsfeld accomplishment is devising a new role for the Army. It is a serious mistake to suggest, as some have, that Rumsfeld favors the Navy, Air Force, and Marines; in fact, his reforms will probably enhance the Army's ground forces. His approach has already paid off in the Iraq war:...