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Chuck Hagel
Charles Timothy Hagel (b. October 4, 1946, in North Platte, Neb.) is a former United States Secretary of Defense. Hagel submitted his resignation notice to President Barack Obama on November 24, 2014, though he agreed to stay in office until his successor was appointed.[1] Administration officials claimed Obama requested his resignation under the belief that the conflict with ISIS would need a different skill set than Hagel brought to the office. Some believed forcing Hagel out was the president's response to publicly perceived weakness in the face of national security issues like the Ebola outbreak and the ISIS threat.[2] Hagel stepped down on February 15, 2015.[3]
Hagel was confirmed by the Senate on February 26, 2013.[4] He was the first enlisted combat veteran to hold the position of Secretary of Defense.[5] Hagel previously served as deputy administrator of the Veterans Administration under the Reagan administration and was a member of the U.S. Senate representing Nebraska from 1996 to 2009.[6]
Biography
Hagel attended St. Bonaventure High School in Nebraska. After high school, he enrolled at the Brown Institute for Radio and Television in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1966.[7] He dropped out of school to serve in the army during the Vietnam War where he fought alongside his brother, Tom, in 1968.[6] He and Tom ended up saving each others' lives on different occasions and earned five Purple Hearts between them.[4] Following his term of service in the Army, Hagel graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
He continued his public service by joining Representative John McCollister's staff until becoming a lobbyist for Firestone Tire and Rubber Company in 1977.[4] President Ronald Reagan then appointed Hagel to the position of deputy administrator for the Veterans Administration, a position he used to help those who had been affected by Agent Orange in Vietnam.[6] Following his term in 1982, he worked as president and director of a number of private sector businesses, including Vanguard Cellular Systems, Inc. until his 1996 election to the United States Senate.[4] After his second term, Hagel retired and taught national governance at Georgetown University before accepting President Barack Obama's nomination to be Secretary of Defense.[4]
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Hagel's academic, professional, and political career:[4][6][7]
- 1966-1967: Attended Brown Institute for Radio and Television
- 1967-1969: Served with the U.S. Army in Vietnam
- 1971: Graduated from University of Nebraska at Omaha
- 1971-1977: Served on the staff of Nebraska Representative John McCollister
- 1977-1980: Lobbyist for Firestone Tire and Rubber Company
- 1981-1982: Appointed to Deputy Administrator for the Veterans Administration
- 1982-1985: President and Co-founder of Collins, Hagel and Clarke, Inc.
- 1982: Deputy Commissioner General for the World's Fair, Knoxville, Tenn.
- 1984-1987: Director and Executive Vice President of Vanguard Cellular Systems, Inc.
- 1987-1990: President and CEO of World United Service Organizations
- 1990-1992: President and CEO of Private Sector Council of Washington, D.C.
- 1992-1996: President of McCarthy and Co.
- 1997-2009: United States Senator from Nebraska
- 2009-2013: Professor of National Governance in the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
- 2013-2015: United States Secretary of Defense
Confirmation vote
Republican senators successfully filibustered debate on Hagel, blocking a confirmation vote on February 14, 2013. The filibuster was done in an effort to force the Obama administration to release more information on the Benghazi attack in 2012[8]. The vote to close debate received only 58 of the 60 necessary votes, with Sen. Harry Reid notably voting against for the reason of having the ability to bring the vote up again at a later date.[8] Hagel was confirmed as the U.S. Secretary of Defense on February 26, 2013, by a vote of 58-41 after the vote to close debate on the nomination finally passed. All votes against his confirmation were cast by Republicans. Four Republicans supported Hagel's confirmation: Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), Mike Johanns (R-Neb.), Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.).[9]
| Chuck Hagel confirmation vote, February 26, 2013 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes for  |
Votes against  |
Total votes |
 Democrats |
52 | 0 | 52 |
 Republicans |
4 | 41 | 45 |
 Independents |
2 | 0 | 2 |
| Total Votes | 58 | 41 | 99 |
Secretary of Defense term initiatives
 |
ISIS insurgency in Iraq and Syria
- See also: ISIS insurgency in Iraq and Syria
The goal of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) was to create an Islamic state for Sunni muslims where Sharia law can be enforced, uniting parts of Iraq and Syria where the Sunni minorities live. The Soufan Group, a political risk consultant firm, stated, "ISIS has become indisputably the most effective and ruthless terrorist organization in the world."[10] As a precautionary measure, Hagel ordered an aircraft carrier be moved to the Persian Gulf for added flexibility, if President Barack Obama chose to act.[11] While the administration insisted no U.S. combat soldiers would be put on the ground in Iraq, about 1,000 military advisers were sent in an effort to secure key U.S. diplomats and help train and guide Iraqi forces.[12] Airstrikes were authorized to begin on August 7, 2014.[13] On August 21, 2014, Hagel claimed ISIS was more than "just a terrorist group," and warned that they posed a serious threat. He explained, "[ISIL] is as sophisticated and well-funded as any group that we have seen. They marry ideology, a sophistication of strategic and tactical military prowess. They are tremendously well-funded."[14]
Military downsizing
On February 24, 2014, Hagel released a budget proposal for the U.S. Department of Defense suggesting the size of the American armed forces be dropped to pre-World War II levels. "You have to always keep your institution prepared, but you can't carry a large land-war Defense Department when there is no large land war," said one senior Pentagon official. The U.S. Army would be dropped to 440,000-450,000 in the coming years, down from the peak of 570,000 after September 11, 2001. President Barack Obama's proposal coming into office would have dropped the Army down to 490,000, but Hagel deemed more cuts necessary in light of both the political and economic landscape in the federal government.[15]
Ethics investigations
On February 5, 2014, Hagel ordered in-depth investigations into multiple ethics violations in the armed services. Drug use in the Air Force, bribery and cheating allegations in the Navy and fraudulent payments and kickbacks in the Army and National Guard sparked the ethics crackdown by Hagel. A spokesperson of the secretary said, "And he’s concerned about the depth of it. I don’t think he could stand here and tell you that he has — that anybody has — the full grasp here, and that’s what worries (Hagel) is that maybe he doesn’t have the full grasp of the depth of the issue, and he wants to better understand it."[16]
Military sexual assault cases
On August 15, 2013, Hagel announced reforms to the handling of sexual assault accusations in the U.S. military. Per a Pentagon survey, sexual assault cases rose to 26,000 in 2012 from 19,000 in 2010.[17] The Department of Defense felt pressure from President Barack Obama to enact the reforms, which included improved legal support for victims, transfers for accused to eliminate future contact and required follow-up actions throughout the chain of command.[17][18]
Noteworthy events
Bergdahl exchange
- See also: Bowe Bergdahl exchange
The Obama administration exchanged five Guantanamo Bay prisoners for U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl on May 31, 2014. Bergdahl was captured by Taliban forces in Afghanistan in 2009 and held captive just across the border in Pakistan.[19] Bergdahl was accused of deserting his unit before being captured, leading to more controversy over whether or not the administration should have made a deal with the Taliban. Critics claimed the action showed American weakness by setting the precedent that the United States would make deals with terrorists. The House Armed Services committee chair Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) went further and insisted that President Obama violated the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act by not giving Congress at least 30 days notice before engaging in talks to get Bergdahl back.[20]
Former White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said that the exchange was rushed due to Bergdahl's "deteriorating" health. Hagel also defended the exchange and hoped it would create "a new opening" in future talks with the Taliban.[20] When asked the reasoning behind the negotiations on June 3, 2014, Obama said, "Regardless of the circumstances, whatever those circumstances may turn out to be, we still get an American soldier back if he’s held in captivity. Period. Full stop. We don’t condition that." He also stated that the administration had been consulting with Congress prior to the swap, a statement House Intelligence committee chair Mike Rogers (R-MI) disputed, stating, "In 2011, they did come up and present a plan that included a prisoner transfer that was, in a bipartisan way, pushed back. We hadn't heard anything since on any details of any prisoner exchange." Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) reported that he was told of the exchange but only "the day before or the day of."[21]
Department budget
| U.S. Department of Defense[22] Annual Budget | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Budget (in billions) | % Difference from previous year |
| 2015 | $575.0 | −1.07% |
| 2014 | $581.2 | 0.62% |
| 2013 | $577.6 | −10.52% |
| 2012 | $645.5 | −6.04% |
| 2011 | $687.0 | −0.58% |
| 2010 | $691.0 | 3.71% |
| 2009 | $666.3 | N/A |
- Note: 2015 represents the department's budget request, not an enacted budget.
Elections
2002
On November 5, 2002, Chuck Hagel won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Charlie A. Matulka (D), Phil Chase (I) and John J. Graziano (L) in the general election.[23]
| U.S. Senate, Nebraska General Election, 2002 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Chuck Hagel incumbent |
82.8% | 397,438 | |
| Democratic | Charlie A. Matulka | 14.6% | 70,290 | |
| Independent | Phil Chase | 1.1% | 5,066 | |
| Libertarian | John J. Graziano | 1.5% | 7,423 | |
| Total Votes | 480,217 | |||
1996
On November 5, 1996, Chuck Hagel won election to the United States Senate. He defeated Ben Nelson (D) in the general election.[24]
| U.S. Senate, Nebraska General Election, 1996 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Chuck Hagel |
57.4% | 379,933 | |
| Democratic | Ben Nelson | 42.6% | 281,904 | |
| Total Votes | 661,837 | |||
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Hagel and his wife, Lilibet, have two children.[7]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Chuck + Hagel + Secretary + Defense
See also
External links
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Fact-checking:
- Financial (federal level):
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Legislation:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
Footnotes
- ↑ The Washington Post, "AP Sources: Hagel resigning as Defense secretary," November 24, 2014
- ↑ New York Times, "Hagel Said to Be Stepping Down as Defense Chief Under Pressure," November 24, 2014
- ↑ NBC Nebraska, "Chuck Hagel Issues Goodbye as He Steps Down as Secretary of Defense," accessed February 18, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 CNN, "Chuck Hagel Fast Facts," accessed March 11, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Department of Defense, "Chuck Hagel," accessed May 29, 2013
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedDODbio - ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Biography.com, "Chuck Hagel biography," accessed May 29, 2013
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Fox News, "Senate Republicans blog Hagel nomination - for now," February 14, 2013
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Politico, "Chuck Hagel confirmed for secretary of defense in 58-41 Senate vote," February 26, 2013
- ↑ CNN, "ISIS: The first terror group to build an Islamic state?" June 12, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "Chuck Hagel orders U.S. aircraft carrier to Persian Gulf," June 14, 2014
- ↑ The Hill, "Obama orders more than 100 advisers to Iraq," August 12, 2014
- ↑ Abc News, "Airstrikes in Iraq," August 8, 2014
- ↑ The Hill, "Hagel: ISIS 'beyond anything we've seen'," August 21, 2014
- ↑ New York Times, "Pentagon Plans to Shrink Army to Pre-World War II Level," February 24, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "Hagel ramps up ethics push," February 5, 2014
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 The Guardian, "Hagel announces new measures to try to stamp out sex assaults in the military," August 15, 2013
- ↑ Department of Defense, "Hagel Announces New Anti-Sexual Assault Initiatives," August 15, 2013
- ↑ CBS News, "Bowe Bergdahl, a Taliban captive since 2009, has been freed," May 31, 2014
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Politico, "Criticism of Bergdahl deal mounts," June 6, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "President Obama defends Bowe Bergdahl deal," June 3, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Department of Defense, "UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FISCAL YEAR 2015 BUDGET REQUEST," accessed February 18, 2015
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 2002," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 1996," accessed March 28, 2013
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Leon Panetta |
U.S. Secretary of Defense 2013-2015 |
Succeeded by Ashton Carter |
| Preceded by James Exon |
U.S. Senate - Nebraska 1997-2009 |
Succeeded by Mike Johanns |
