WASHINGTON — U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel resigned on Monday, the first major change to President Barack Obama’s Cabinet since his Democrats were routed in midterm elections three weeks ago.
Obama announced the resignation at a White House event with Hagel at his side. Hagel will remain in the job until a successor is in place.
Hagel was appointed less than two years ago as Obama pushed his signature program of winding up wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, a process that is being upended this year with U.S. re-engagement in Iraq and greater military cooperation with Kabul.
“Our country owes a debt of gratitude to Secretary Hagel for his service and steadfast commitment to protecting our nation and advancing our national security interests during his tenure as Secretary of Defense,” Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said Monday. “I hope the President will nominate a successor soon and that the Senate Armed Services Committee will quickly consider that nomination.”
“A successor will be named in short order, but Secretary Hagel will remain as Defense Secretary until his replacement is confirmed by the United States Senate,” a senior Obama administration official said.
Obama said at the White House event that Hagel had always been candid with his advice and had “always given it to me straight.”
Hagel raised questions about Obama’s strategy toward Syria in a two-page internal policy memo that leaked this fall. In it, he warned that Obama’s policy was in jeopardy due to its failure to clarify its intentions toward Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
He had privately expressed frustration to colleagues at the administration’s strategy toward Iraq and Syria and at his lack of influence over the decision-making process, a source familiar with the situation said.
Obama has insisted that the United States can go after Islamic State militants without addressing Assad, who the United States would like to leave power.
Officials said Obama wanted fresh leadership during the final two years of his administration.
“What I can tell you is there are no policy differences in the background of this decision,” a senior U.S. defense official said. “The secretary is not resigning in protest and he’s not being ‘fired,’” the official said.
While officials have said publicly the decision for him to leave was mutual, others have privately said he was forced out. “There’s no question he was fired,” one source with knowledge of the matter said.
A chance for change
House Republican Speaker John Boehner said the change at the Pentagon “must be part of a larger re-thinking of our strategy to confront the threats we face abroad, especially the threat posed by the rise of ISIL [Islamic State].”
Sen. John McCain, who is expected to become chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee that will vet the new nominee, called for changes in Obama’s defense policies.
McCain, a fierce critic of the president, told Reuters Hagel had been “very unhappy” about micro-management from the White House and did not believe that Washington had a strategy to combat Islamic State.
Hagel will remain as Defense Secretary until his replacement is confirmed by the Senate. Congressional sources said it was almost certain that would not happen until after January, when Republicans take over and will control the confirmation process.
A Vietnam War veteran and longtime Republican senator, Hagel, 68, had been criticized by some for failing to clearly articulate policy, including during his confirmation hearing nearly two years ago.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins said in a news release Monday that despite Hagel’s patriotism “I have never believed that he was a good fit to head the Department of Defense.
“I urge the President to submit a nominee with extensive national security credentials to replace Secretary Hagel as soon as possible so the Senate can consider the nomination. These are dangerous times, and the Department needs a strong, experienced leader,” Collins said.
Potential candidates
Top potential candidates to replace Hagel include Michele Flournoy, a former under secretary of defense, and Ashton Carter, a former deputy secretary of defense, who were rumored to be contenders for Hagel’s job before he was named.
Hagel, who was the only enlisted combat veteran to serve as defense secretary, ran into a wave of opposition when Obama, a Democrat, nominated him.
Republicans objected partly because Hagel opposed the 2007 “surge” of troops in the Iraq war, which eventually helped defeat al Qaeda and other militants and opened the way for a U.S. troop withdrawal.
He was seen as poorly prepared and hesitant during his confirmation hearing, including refusing to answer “yes” or “no” when McCain demanded he judge whether he was wrong to oppose the surge strategy.
Hagel, who became an outspoken critic of the administration of President George W. Bush, had also upset many in his party by endorsing Obama in his presidential race against John McCain in 2008.
Defense analyst Loren Thompson said Obama had seen Hagel as someone who could build bridges to the Republican Party, particularly in disputes over the massive defense budget, but Hagel’s ties were not in fact strong to begin with.
“What they need is a focused person who can clearly communicate with Capitol Hill on the need to loosen budget caps” that were damaging the military’s ability to function, Thompson said. “Hagel seemed like he would appeal to both sides, but he wound up alienating Republicans and angering Democrats.”