US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel resigned yesterday, 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 fewer than two years ago as Obama pushed his signature programme of winding up wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, a process that is being upended this year with US re-engagement in Iraq and greater military cooperation with Kabul.
Hagel had raised questions about Obama’s strategy towards Syria
The former Republican senator, who had struggled to improve his ties with Congress after a contentious 2013 confirmation hearing, submitted his resignation letter after lengthy discussions with Obama that began in October, officials said.
“A successor will be named in short order, but Secretary Hagel will remain as Defence 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 towards Syria in a two-page internal policy memo that leaked this autumn. In it, he warned that Obama’s policy was in jeopardy because of its failure to clarify its intentions towards Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Obama has insisted that the US can go after Islamic State militants without addressing Assad, who the US would like to leave in 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. The secretary is not resigning in protest and he is not being ‘fired’,” a senior defence official said yesterday.
Top potential candidates to replace Hagel include Michele Flournoy, a former under-secretary of defence, and Ashton Carter, a former deputy secretary of defence, who were both rumoured to be contenders for Hagel’s job before he was named for the position.
Senator Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island, is another possible contender.
Hagel, who was the only enlisted combat veteran to serve as defence secretary, ran into a wave of opposition when Obama, a Democrat, nominated him.
Republicans objected because Hagel had opposed the 2007 Iraq war ‘surge’ of troops, which eventually helped to defeat al-Qaeda and other militants and opened the way for a US troop withdrawal.
Hagel, who had become an outspoken critic of the administration of President George W. Bush, had also upset many in his own party by endorsing Obama in his presidential race against Republican Senator John McCain in 2008.
Hagel was seen as poorly prepared and hesitant during his confirmation hearing, including refusing to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ when McCain demanded that he judge whether he was wrong to oppose the surge strategy.