US President Barack Obama has accepted
the resignation of Defense Secretary
Chuck Hagel, senior administration
officials have said, a number of US news
outlets reported.
The outgoing Defense chief stepped down
under pressure following the Democrats
massive mid-term losses and the national
security team’s failure to keep ahead of a
series of global crises, the New York
Times reports, citing senior administration
officials.
A senior defense official told the
Associated Press that Hagel submitted his
resignation letter to Obama on Monday
morning and the president accepted it.
The former senator from Nebraska
agreed to remain in office until the
Senate has confirmed his replacement.
The official added that both Hagel and
Obama had"determined that it was time
for new leadership in the Pentagon"
following weeks of discussion.
#inthenowRT : US Def. Sec. #Hagel
steps down. Why don’t #Obama and
Chuck see eye to eye? Tweet us your
take pic.twitter.com/fU7S32wr74
— IN THE NOW (@INTHENOWRT)
November 24, 2014
Hagel first assumed the position of
Defense Secretary in 2013. Due to his
previous opposition to the 2007 surge
policy in Iraq and statements critical of
the Israeli lobby in the United States, his
confirmation was met with significant
controversy. Following Monday's
announcement, Hagel will have served just
longer than the 20 months his predecessor
Leon Panetta held the position.
With a military background and less
hawkish view of international affairs,
Hagel was viewed as the ideal candidate
to bring major US combat operations in
Afghanistan to an end while managing a
leaner Pentagon amidst deep defense
cuts.
Recent events, however, including the rise
of so-called Islamic State (IS) militants
and the worldwide Ebola epidemic,
"required a different kind of focus," senior
officials told the New York Times.
With the White House ramping up its
military operations in Iraq and Syria, one
longtime associate of Hagel told ABC news
the writing was on the wall.
"He took the job to end the war--not start
another one," this associate of Hagel's
tells me.
Hagel's departure, could both signal the
White House is ready to carry out a more
aggressive foreign policy, while also
signaling to critics that the Obama
administration is receptive to criticism of
its perceived mishandling of recent
events.
It remains unclear who is slated to replace
the outgoing defense chief. According to
the NYT, Michele Flournoy, the former
under secretary of defense; Senator 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, are all likely
candidates.
A senior administration told ABC news
that a successor “will be named in short
order.”
Source: http://rt.com/usa/208383-obama-asks-hagel-resign/

Cc: Seun

dat can never happen in nigeria,dey will rada sink d country dan let go of der position