Chuck Hagel will resign today under pressure from the President, who reportedly stated the U.S. military faces challenges different than Hagel’s background supports.
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, the only Republican in President Obama’s cabinet, tendered his resignation this morning, according to reports by the New York Times and CNN. The Times broke the news minutes ago, reporting Hagel “is stepping down under pressure, the first cabinet-level casualty of the collapse of President Obama’s Democratic majority in the Senate and a beleaguered national security team that has struggled to stay ahead of an onslaught of global crises.”
The officials described Mr. Obama’s decision to remove Mr. Hagel, 68, as a recognition that the threat from the Islamic State would require a different kind of skills than those that Mr. Hagel was brought on to employ. A Republican with military experience who was skeptical about the Iraq war, Mr. Hagel came in to manage the Afghanistan combat withdrawal and the shrinking Pentagon budget in the era of budget sequestration.
But now “the next couple of years will demand a different kind of focus,†one administration official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. He insisted that Mr. Hagel was not fired, saying that he initiated discussions about his future two weeks ago with the president, and that the two men mutually agreed that it was time for him to leave.
President Obama will make the announcement from the Rose Garden today. Sec. Hagel, who joined the administration just last year, is expected to stay in his post until his replacement has been confirmed.
Hagel had a contentious confirmation process, and was opposed by several LGBT groups and allies, but proved to be a supporter of LGBT equality during his time as Defense Secretary.
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