Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel is reportedly stepping down due to pressure from the Obama administration, according to news reports Monday.
Hagel, who was brought on to manage shrinking defense budgets and the drawdown of the war in Afghanistan, was asked to step down last Friday, according to a senior administration official. The administration has recently decided to extend its mission in Afghanistan, and the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has reportedly complicated Hagel’s role.
The news of Hagel’s resignation was first reported by the New York Times.
President Obama is expected to announce the decision in a State Dining Room appearance at 11:10 am on Monday.
“Over the past two years, Secretary Hagel helped manage an intense period of transition for the United States Armed Forces, including the drawdown in Afghanistan, the need to prepare our forces for future missions, and tough fiscal choices to keep our military strong and ready,” a senior administration official said. “… Secretary Hagel has been a steady hand, guiding our military through this transition, and helping us respond to challenges from [the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria] to Ebola,” the official said.
The official characterized Hagel’s decision to leave the administration as a response to a series of talks that began between him and Obama beginning in October about the “natural post-midterms transition time.”
Earlier in November, Pentagon press secretary Rear adm. John Kirby pushed back at reports of Hagel’s imminent departure. “The secretary is fully committed to his job as defense secretary and leading this department, and he looks forward to doing that through the remainder,” Kirby said.
Hagel frustrated the administration this summer by contradicting Obama’s description of the Islamic State as the junior varsity squad.
The Islamic State is an “imminent threat to every interest we have,” Hagel said in August. “This is beyond anything that we’ve seen.”
Former Defense undersecretary Michele Flournoy is a likely replacement. She was a finalist for the top Pentagon post in 2013 when Obama instead tapped Hagel.
A senior administration official said a successor will be named in “short order” but Hagel will remain as defense secretary until the Senate confirms his replacement.
This story was first published at 9:35 a.m. and has been updated.
