Under pressure from US President Barack Obama, US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel submitted his resignation on Monday amid White House concerns about his effectiveness and broader criticism from outside about the administration’s crisis management in the Middle East.
The US president said he and Hagel had determined it was an “appropriate time for him to complete his service.”
Hagel, a former Republican senator, never broke through the White House’s notably insular national security team. Officials privately griped about his ability to publicly communicate administration policy and more recently questioned whether he had the capacity to oversee new military campaigns against the Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.
Hagel is the first high-level member of Obama’s national security team to step down in the wake of a disastrous Nov. 4 election for the president’s party and persistent criticism about the administration’s policies in the Middle East and elsewhere.
It is unclear whether Hagel’s forced resignation signals the start of a broader shakeup of the president’s team — White House officials said it was possible there could be more departures.
Among the leading contenders to replace Hagel is Michele Flournoy, who served as the Pentagon’s policy chief for the first three years of Obama’s presidency.
Flournoy is said to be interested in the top Pentagon job, but is seeking assurances from the White House that she would be given greater latitude in policymaking than Hagel.
Others mentioned as possible replacements include Ashton Carter, the former US deputy secretatry of defense, and Robert Work, who currently holds that post.
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