Rumsfeld, whose first stop is in London this evening, will thank leaders in Portugal and Albania for supporting the US-led war that brought down Saddam Hussein.

Portugal, the first stop, lent political support. Albania, Rumsfeld's second stop after Lisbon on Tuesday, provided a small contingent of troops to the Iraq operation.

On Wednesday, Rumsfeld travels to the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch, Germany before traveling to Brussels for a meeting of NATO defense ministers. The center is a school for mid-level officials from former Soviet bloc countries now aligned with NATO.

Rumsfeld's trip to Europe follows a bruising battle with long-time allies Germany and France over the US invasion of Iraq.

It also comes as the Pentagon plans a global realignment of forces that is expected to involve moving US troops out of big Cold War-era bases in Germany to other locations in former Soviet bloc countries.

Those plans were expected to come up at a meeting of NATO defense ministers Thursday and Friday in Brussels.

WAR.WIRE