Posts Tagged ‘secretary of defense’

In a contentious, eight-hour hearing Thursday, former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel (R) defended his past record, and, while struggling at times to explain some of his positions, President Obama’s nominee to become the next defense secretary appeared to remain on course to helm the Pentagon. Hagel rejected the claim that he supports sequestration, saying, instead, that he agrees with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s stance that the deep, across-the-board spending reductions scheduled to take effect next month are a bad idea …

Former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel said he would consider carrying out a base closure round as a prudent option to cope with budget constraints, according to the responses the nominee for defense secretary submitted to policy questions from the Senate Armed Services Committee. “As with industry, the department should examine its infrastructure and eliminate excess. The BRAC process is not perfect, but I believe BRAC is a fair and comprehensive way to right-size the department’s footprint, and is the best process identified to date …

Chuck Hagel’s path to confirmation to be the next defense secretary may seem rocky now, but if the former Republican senator from Nebraska wins the approval of the Senate, his ability to advance his priorities for the Pentagon on Capitol Hill should not be diminished, according to CQ. Most analysts contacted by CQ believe Hagel will receive support from about 70 senators, a threshold which should offer him solid footing at the helm of the Defense Department. Opposition to Hagel over fears that he wants to slash the size and scope of the military, though, may be trickier to overcome …

Despite Sen. James Inhofe’s (R-Okla.) decision to oppose President Obama’s nominee for defense secretary, Capitol Hill insiders do not believe the incoming ranking member of the Armed Services Committee will undercut work on the defense authorization bill or cause a rift on the panel between the two parties. In fact, several congressional aides told CQ that Inhofe would be expected to follow the lead of his predecessor on the committee, John McCain (R-Ariz.), who established a cordial relationship with Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) over the annual defense policy bill …

Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter will remain at the Defense Department, following speculation that President Obama would nominate him to replace Energy Secretary Steven Chu. A senior administration official told the Hill last week that Obama has asked Carter to stay at the Pentagon. After it became clear that the president had chosen former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel (R) over Carter and other candidates to succeed Leon Panetta as defense secretary, Washington insiders indicated Carter was a possible candidate for the Energy post. Chu has not yet said he is stepping down, but is widely expected to announce his departure soon.

President Obama praised former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel for his dedication to service members and their families in announcing his nomination Monday to be the next defense secretary. The two-term Republican senator served as an Army sergeant in the Vietnam War and earned two Purple Hearts as an infantry squad leader there. Hagel also served as deputy administrator for the Veterans Administration and as CEO and president of the USO …

The Pentagon’s year-old defense strategy is threatened by two principal dangers, stress on the force and a political system that forces the military to operate with little certainty about available resources, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said this week at a National Press Club luncheon. The department’s effort to ensure the health of the force by investing in its readiness, though, is hamstrung by political considerations that prevent officials from directing funding to the military’s highest priorities …

Former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel (Neb.) appears likely to become President Obama’s next defense secretary, although a final decision has not yet been made, according to sources. The two-term senator and former colleague of Obama has passed the White House’s vetting process and may be nominated before the new year, reports Bloomberg …

President Obama is expected to name his selection for defense secretary in the next two weeks, administration officials say. Obama has not yet decided whether to reveal his nominations for the top national security posts — including secretary of state and CIA director — in a single, high-profile announcement or separately. The president probably would not announce his picks before next week, but wants to unveil them before the end of the year …

President Obama is preparing to name a new defense secretary this month, and possibly this week, reported the Washington Post. While it still is not clear who Obama will pick, administration officials have said the president would like to name his selections to lead the Pentagon and the State Department in a joint announcement. Such an announcement would send a clear message about how the president will pursue national security policy in his second term, according to the story …