COMPLETE COVERAGE | FRONT LINES | AMERICA AT HOME | INTERACTIVES »

Rumsfeld meets new Afghan leaders

Details of Rumsfeld's trip were not released in advance for security reasons.

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld met with incoming Afghan leader Hamid Karzai at Bagram airport Sunday.

He also talked with other members of the new interim government, which is to take power December 22.

One of the issues under discussion was the nature of the international security force for Kabul, whether it should be robust or modest.

Also, the officials are talking about what has been accomplished in post-Taliban Afghanistan so far and what needs to be done in the future.

Rumsfeld, who arrived on a C-17 aircraft, was greeted by an honor guard of local Afghan troops and officials of the incoming government.

VIDEO U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld met with U.S. troops and talked with members of the interim Afghan government. CNN's Jamie Mcintyre reports (December 17) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)    CNN.COM SPECIAL REPORT  CNN NewsPass Video  Agencies reportedly got hijack tips in 1998  MORE STORIES Intelligence intercept led to Buffalo suspects Report cites warnings before 9/11  EXTRA INFORMATION Timeline: Who Knew What and When? Interactive: Terror Investigation Terror Warnings System Most wanted terrorists What looks suspicious? In-Depth: America Remembers In-Depth: Terror on Tape In-Depth: How prepared is your city?  RESOURCES On the Scene: Barbara Starr: Al Qaeda hunt expands? On the Scene: Peter Bergen: Getting al Qaeda to talk

He toured the base and talked to members of the U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division.

Before he arrived in Bagram, Rumsfeld spoke to U.S. troops at a base near Afghanistan, though the Pentagon would not disclose the location.

He told 50 to 100 troops that when the United States is attacked there needs to be a penalty. He told them their job is not done and there is a long way to go.

Rumsfeld has been warned not to leave the hard surface concrete of the runway because the Bagram base has not been cleared of mines.

There are hulks of decrepit MiG-21 jets from the Soviet era littering the base.

On Saturday, Rumsfeld toured three Caucasus nations, meeting the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia, located across the Caspian Sea from the Central Asian states bordering Afghanistan.

He discussed military assistance for the states in return for their help in the U.S. war on terrorism.

Rumsfeld is also scheduled to visit Uzbekistan and attend a NATO defense ministerial meeting Brussels, Belgium.

Defense Ministers from NATO's 19 member countries will be meeting Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss developments in NATO-related issues and the war on terror.

According to the NATO Web site, the ministers "will also focus on the adaptation of the military capabilities of NATO member countries to new threats through the Alliance's Defence Capabilities Initiative.

"In addition, they will exchange views on missile defense and discuss NATO-EU relations, the enlargement process, NATO's partnership activities, relations with Russia and Ukraine and the Mediterranean Dialogue," the site reports.