President Obama on Monday accepted the resignation of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, creating a vacancy at the Pentagon at a time when the U.S. is battling the Islamic State in the Middle East, dealing with a shrinking budget at the Defense Department and grappling with a number of other foreign-policy challenges and international crises.
Mr. Hagel’s sudden exit, first reported by the New York Times, comes amid reports of conflict with the White House on a number of issues. The White House painted the decision as Mr. Hagel’s, but the outgoing secretary reportedly clashed with the president on the U.S. policy toward Syria and on other matters.
Mr. Hagel, a former Republican senator from Nebraska who took over the Pentagon just two years ago, is the first member of Mr. Obama’s cabinet to resign following the Democratic party’s massive losses in the midterm elections.
Speaking in the White House, Mr. Obama said Mr. Hagel came to him last month and said he felt it was time to step down.
The president praised the outgoing secretary, saying he’s fought for his entire adult life on behalf of the nation’s armed forces and veterans. Mr. Hagel also has helped revamp the Defense Department for the fights of the 21st century and has ensured America’s forces remain fully effective despite budget cuts, Mr. Obama said.
“Last month, Chuck came to me to discuss the final quarter of my presidency and determined that, having guided the department through this transition, it was an appropriate time for him to complete his service,” the president said. “Chuck Hagel has devoted himself to our national security and our men and women in uniform across more than six decades. He volunteered for Vietnam and still carries the scars and shrapnel from the battles he fought.”
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While White House officials indicated that Mr. Hagel made the decision to resign, the New York Times reported that the decision came after pressure from the president, who determined a new kind of leadership was needed in the Pentagon.
A White House official told the Associated Press that Mr. Obama and Mr. Hagel “determined that it was time for new leadership in the Pentagon.”
Mr. Obama reportedly asked the sole Republican on his national security team to step down Friday after a series of meetings over the past several weeks.
Publicly, however, the two men offered no signs of a rift. Mr. Hagel, the first combat veteran to serve as defense secretary, had nothing but kind words for the administration, thanking the president for the opportunity.
“It’s been the greatest privilege of my life, the greatest privilege of my life to lead and, most important, to serve — to serve with the men and women of the defense department and support their families,” he said, standing alongside Mr. Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden. “I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished during this time.”
Despite Mr. Hagel’s relatively short tenure at the Pentagon, Mr. Obama said the secretary has been effective.
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“Over two years, Chuck has been an exemplary defense secretary, providing a steady hand as we modernized our strategy and budget to meet long-term threats while still responding to immediate challenges like ISIL and Ebola,” Mr. Obama said. “Thanks to Chuck, our military is on a firmer footing.”
Mr. Hagel leaves for the next defense secretary a host of issues to confront, notably the Obama administration’s military campaign against the Islamic State terrorist group.
The U.S. and international partners began bombing Islamic State targets in Iraq in late summer. The mission later expanded to include positions in Syria.
The administration continues to maintain American ground forces will not join the fight against the terrorist group, also known as ISIS or ISIL.
Administration officials said a successor will be named “in short order,” but until then, Mr. Hagel will remain in his post.
The New York Times reported that possible replacements include Michele Flournoy, the former under secretary of defense; Sen. Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island and a former officer with the Army’s 82nd Airborne; and Ashton B. Carter, a former deputy secretary of defense.
Some Republicans claim that Mr. Hagel’s resignation comes as the result of internal disagreements with the White House, and with the administration’s “micromanagement” of the Pentagon.
“Chuck [Hagel] and I have worked well together, and we have often seen eye to eye on our biggest national security challenges — ISIS, the conflict in Syria, the war in Afghanistan, a rising China, and most of all, sequestration,” said Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican and one of the most outspoken critics of Mr. Obama’s foreign-policy approach. “I know that Chuck was frustrated with aspects of the administration’s national security policy and decision-making process. His predecessors have spoken about the excessive micro-management they faced from the White House and how that made it more difficult to do their jobs successfully. Chuck’s situation was no different.
“But ultimately, the President needs to realize that the real source of his current failures on national security more often lie with his administration’s misguided policies and the role played by his White House in devising and implementing them. That is the real change we need right now,” Mr. McCain said.
Despite his name emerging as a possible replacement for Mr. Hagel, Mr. Reed apparently has no interest in becoming the next defense secretary.
“Senator Reed loves his job and wants to continue serving the people of Rhode Island in the United States Senate. He has made it very clear that he does not wish to be considered for secretary of defense or any other cabinet position. He just asked the people of Rhode Island to hire him for another six year term and plans on honoring that commitment,” said Chip Unruh, Mr. Reed’s press secretary.
• Jacqueline Klimas contributed to this report.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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