Donald H. Rumsfeld, October 4, 2002

Last month we observed the one-year anniversary of the attack on America, a day when more than 3,000 innocent civilians perished in an act of unprecedented evil.

On Oct. 7, we will observe the anniversary of America's initial response to that event -- the commencement of a global war on terrorism. While we are much closer to the beginning of this war than to its end, an extraordinary amount has been accomplished thus far.

One year ago, Afghanistan was a pariah state where al-Qaeda freely planned and implemented attacks on innocents worldwide, and the Taliban operated with impunity -- brutally repressing an entire people who were on the verge of famine and facing another winter of desperation.

While there is much more to be done in Afghanistan, hope has replaced despair. The Taliban regime is out of power, replaced by a representative government. Many al-Qaeda members have been killed or captured or are on the run. A national army is being trained so Afghans can one day take responsibility for their own security.

Most extraordinary of all, 90 nations -- nearly half the world -- have joined with us in the largest coalition ever assembled in the history of the world. Forty-two are represented at U.S. Central Command.

Together, we are working to create conditions for Afghanistan's long-term stability, providing water, sanitation, shelter, road reconstruction, health care, vaccines, access to credit, and assistance to hundreds of thousands of returning refugees. Schools have been rebuilt, teachers trained, textbooks supplied. Our allies have pledged $4.5 billion for reconstruction with 65% moving through the pipeline in the first eight months. The U.S. is providing more than $500 million in humanitarian assistance.

With the help of our coalition partners, thousands of individuals have been detained and interrogated. Officials from dozens of countries have seized terrorist assets, frozen bank accounts, closed front companies, disrupted terrorist cells, thwarted future attacks and made significant arrests across several continents.

But these are just the first steps in eradicating terrorism worldwide. The job won't be finished until terrorists are rooted out wherever they exist; terrorist networks are uncovered and destroyed; and nations that shelter or support terrorists abandon those efforts. Further, we must address the potential for the use of weapons of mass destruction by terrorists or state sponsors of terrorism, and do all we can to prevent another surprise attack in which the dead could number in the tens of thousands or more.

The freedom-loving nations of the world are with us in this fight. As the president has said, "We will not waver, we will not falter, we will not tire, and we will not fail."

Donald Rumsfeld is U.S. Secretary of Defense.