President Barack Obama announced the departure of US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel yesterday with the White House under fire over perceived fumbling in its response to the Islamic State threat.
The former Republican senator, who has been in the job for less than two years, was chosen to oversee a shift to a (comparatively more) ‘peacetime’ military.
Rapid advances by the “self Styled” Islamic State in Syria and Iraq forced the Pentagon chief into managing a complex campaign, and Obama concluded Hagel was not the man for the task.
The 68-year-old Vietnam war veteran joined Obama at the White House to confirm his departure.
“When I asked Chuck to serve as secretary of defense we were entering a significant period of transition: the drawdown in Afghanistan, the need to prepare our forces for future missions and tough fiscal choices to keep our military strong and ready,” Obama said.
“Last month, Chuck came to me to discuss the final quarter of my presidency and determined that, having guided the department through this transition, it was an appropriate time for him to complete his service.”
On jihadist websites and Twitter accounts, Islamic State supporters celebrated “victory” against Hagel, claiming he had been forced out by their successes against US allies on the battlefield.
