Chuck Hagel will resign as US Secretary of Defense

US President Barack Obama has decided to fire Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, several sources in the presidential administration said at once. Obama will officially announce Hagel's resignation on November 24 during a special speech to reporters.

At the same time, sources in the Obama administration emphasize that the decision to leave Hagel was made after consultations with Obama that lasted for two weeks. The decision, they said, was mutual and there was no talk of firing Hagel.

The departure of Hagel, 68, political analysts point out, is the first reshuffle in the Obama administration since Democrats lost most seats in the Senate in early November in the midterm elections to Congress. Hagel was the only Republican in the Democratic Obama administration's power bloc.

At the same time, White House sources indicate that the experience and skills for which Hagel was appointed to the post of Secretary of Defense are not suitable for fighting the Islamic State, which the Obama administration has recognized as a major threat to national security.

When Hagel, known for his skepticism about the US military operation in Iraq, was appointed to the post of Secretary of Defense, his main tasks were considered to be preparations for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, political analysts say. They also recall that Hagel headed the defense department at a time when the Pentagon was forced to cut spending due to the US budget deficit. However, sources point out that in the next couple of years, a person “with a different approach” will be in demand as Minister of Defense.

Chuck Hagel, the only Republican in the Obama administration's power bloc, became the "first casualty" of the Democrats' defeat in the US midterm elections.

CNBC

• Chuck Hagel in 2008, when Obama took up his first term, was considered one of the most likely candidates for the post of US Secretary of State, which, as a result, was taken by Hillary Clinton. Hagel was appointed Secretary of Defense in early 2013, after Obama was re-elected for a second term.
• Hagel's most likely successors include Michele Flournoy, formerly the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense; retired military, Rhode Island Democratic Senator Jack Reed (Jack Reed), and Ashton Carter (Ashton Carter), former First Deputy Secretary of Defense.