Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, the only Republican in President Barack Obama’s cabinet, will announce his resignation on Monday, the White House said.
Hagel’s departure — a major post-election reshuffle of Obama’s struggling national security team — comes as the United States faces a series of major international challenges, from the war against the so-called Islamic State (IS) to the planned troop drawdown from Afghanistan.
The New York Times, which first reported the former senator’s departure, cited anonymous Obama aides as saying Hagel was being removed because he was the wrong person to lead the campaign against IS.
A senior administration official, who requested anonymity, said a successor would “be named in short order,” but that Hagel would stay on until that person was confirmed.
It was unclear whom Obama would pick to succeed Hagel, the first former enlisted man to serve as secretary of defense. The list of potential candidates included Michele Flournoy, who served as the No. 3 official in the Pentagon in Obama’s first term, former Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and Sen. Jack Reed (D.-R.I.), who served as an officer in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division.
Despite the New York Times report, the anonymous official who confirmed Hagel’s departure characterized him as “a steady hand” at the Pentagon.
“In October, Secretary Hagel began speaking with the president about departing the administration, given the natural post-midterms transition time. Those conversations have been ongoing for several weeks,” the official said.
In a November 19 interview with PBS’s Charlie Rose, Hagel had shrugged off the possibility that Obama would reshuffle his national security team.
“I don't get up in the morning and worry about my job. It's not unusual by the way, to change teams at different times,” he said.
“I've got to stay focused on my job, Charlie, and I do,” Hagel added. “And I am very fortunate that I have some of the best people in the world to work with, and whatever the president decides, he's the president, he makes those decisions.”
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