--- title: Chuck Hagel: Pentagon Chief Stepping Down from Obama Administration description: Will stay in post until successor confirmed canonical: https://time.com/3602096/chuck-hagel-pentagon-resign/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-11-24T14:40:30.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T23:18:17.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Chuck Hagel: Pentagon Chief Stepping Down from Obama Administration og:description: Will stay in post until successor confirmed og:url: https://time.com/3602096/chuck-hagel-pentagon-resign/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8382bf671c55c94e/69876a7f8e0601401b458c57/chuck-hagel-department-of-defense.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Chuck Hagel og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Chuck Hagel: Pentagon Chief Stepping Down from Obama Administration twitter:description: Will stay in post until successor confirmed twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8382bf671c55c94e/69876a7f8e0601401b458c57/chuck-hagel-department-of-defense.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Pentagon Chief Chuck Hagel Is Stepping Down > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Updated: Dec 13, 2023 11:18 PM UTCPublished: Nov 24, 2014 2:40 PM UTC  Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel pauses during a news conference at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va. on Nov. 14, 2014. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel pauses during a news conference at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va. on Nov. 14, 2014. Evan Vucci—AP by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Updated: Dec 13, 2023 11:18 PM UTCPublished: Nov 24, 2014 2:40 PM UTC Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel is [resigning](http://time.com/3602263/hagel-pentagon-retreat/) from the post after less than two years on the job, President Barack Obama announced Monday. Obama said he was “reluctant” to see Hagel leave, though an Administration official told TIME that Obama had asked Hagel to resign. Obama said Hagel concluded it’s an “appropriate time for him to complete his service.” He will stay in his post until a successor is confirmed by the Senate. “Over nearly two years Chuck has been an exemplary Defense Secretary,” Obama said during an appearance with Hagel at the White House. “Chuck is and has been a great friend of mine, since I was a green-behind-the-ears freshman senator,” Obama added. Hagel called being Secretary of Defense “the greatest privilege of my life.” **MORE:** [Why Chuck Hagel resigned](http://time.com/3602263/hagel-pentagon-retreat/) An Obama friend dating back to their time opposing the Iraq War in the Senate, Hagel [had difficulty interacting with members of Obama’s team](http://time.com/3602263/hagel-pentagon-retreat/) and has been rumored to be on his way out for weeks. In an interview with PBS last week, Hagel sidestepped questions about whether he would remain in the job. “First of all, I serve at the pleasure of the President,” Hagel said. “I’m immensely grateful for the opportunity I’ve had the last two years to work every day for the country and for the men and women who serve this country. I don’t get up in the morning and worry about my job. It’s not unusual by the way, to change teams at different times. “I didn’t say I expect him to change,” he added under continued questioning. “What I’m saying is it wouldn’t be unusual to do that first of all historically. But second, I’ve got to stay focused on my job… and I do. And I am very fortunate that I have some of the best people in the world to work with and whatever the President decides, he’s the President, he makes those decisions.” Asked if he still believed he had Obama’s confidence, Hagel said: “Well, I don’t think I would be here if I didn’t. But you’d have to ask him that. I mean I see him all the time.” **MORE:** [3 people who could replace Chuck Hagel](http://time.com/3602266/secretary-defense-hagel-obama/) Hagel, the first enlisted man to rise to become Secretary of Defense, was seen by Obama aides as having difficulty staying on message and communicating the Administration’s positions clearly. Over the summer, White House aides were forced to walk back comments he made about the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS), in which he called the militant group an “imminent threat to every interest we have.” One former Obama official was skeptical that dropping Hagel will improve the Administration’s foreign policy position. “Not sure what kind of Kool-Aid they are drinking if they think that getting rid of Hagel—and not the national security advisor who’s flailing to handle the \[ISIS\] problem—is going to make things better,” the former official told TIME. Hagel faced a tough confirmation battle in 2012 and early 2013 when Democrats controlled the Senate. “The bottom line is that he wasn’t set up for success by his team when he arrived at the Pentagon,” the former official added. “After a particularly tough confirmation process, instead of pushing the new Secretary to own the job inside the Beltway and in the public eye, his team took the opposite approach. Their goal was just not to make waves.” ### Photos: What Obama's Hugs Meant  You can see it by Obama’s bowed head and Hagel’s sorrowful face – this is an “I’m sorry” hug, plain and simple. Mandel Ngan—AFP/Getty Images  This hug between Obama and former Press Secretary Jay Carney may have been commemorating Carney’s departure, but all people will remember is its awkwardness. Susan Walsh—AP  Here’s where Obama’s hug game is the strongest: with Michelle. The peaceful smile on his face, the warm, full-body embrace – this is clearly an “I love you” hug. Consider it the antidote to the Carney debacle. Jim Watson—AFP/Getty Images  Obama’s hug with nurse Nina Pham after her battle with Ebola was a way to signal to the public that the disease is not as scary as some had thought. This is the hug as public health awareness. Olivier Douliery-—Getty Images  Critics charged that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie "hugged" the president, but the Republican claimed it was just a handshake. Jewel Samad—AFP/Getty Images  The photo of Obama hugging a victim of Hurricane Sandy went viral- his solemn face and her tear-stained one, his arms protectively around her shoulders – this is a presidential hug in its purest form. Pablo Martinez Monsivais—AP  Though Obama’s peck on Burmese democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi’s cheek was a pro-democracy smooch, her visible recoil from the kiss indicates that he may have been better off with a handshake. Jason Reed—Reuters  Obama was literally swept off his feet by pizzeria owner Scott Van Duzer. The now-famous bear hug was a “celebrities are just like us” moment, when Obama showed he could still joke around in a regular ol’ pizza joint. Sept. 9, 2012. Pablo Martinez Monsivais—AP His replacement will have to find support from the GOP-controlled Senate in the new Congress next year. “Secretary Chuck Hagel honorably served the United States as a combat soldier, a U.S. Senator, and as Secretary of Defense,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who will become Majority Leader when Republicans take over the Senate next year, said in a statement. “We appreciate his service to the nation. “It’s important to remember that Secretary Hagel’s departure comes at a moment of great peril for our country,” McConnell added. “His successor will confront the daunting challenges of: modernizing our conventional military forces to meet the challenges posed by Russia and China; restructuring the force after more than a decade of counterinsurgency warfare; maintaining our dominance in the air and at sea; investing in the next generation of weapons systems to preserve our nuclear triad; and combatting terror whether from Al Qaeda, associate forces, \[ISIS\], or other groups seeking to exploit the ungoverned spaces created by revolt and unrest. All of these challenges come at a time when the all-volunteer force faces a shortage of resources and investment. It is imperative that the next Secretary of Defense possess a sharp grasp of strategy, a demonstrated ability to think creatively, and the willingness and ability to work with Congress. And it is critical that the President consider these qualifications and challenges as he considers such an important nomination.” Two former Department of Defense officials—Michele Flournoy, the former under secretary of defense and Ashton Carter, the former deputy secretary of defense—were runners-up to Hagel for the post when former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta stepped down in 2012, and are seen as top contenders to be Hagel’s successor, according to administration officials, along with Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, who is in line to be Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee. “With the United States facing threats to our national security around the world, it is my hope that Senate Republicans will work with Democrats to give swift and fair consideration to President Obama’s next nominee to this critical post,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who will become Minority Leader next year, said in a statement lauding Hagel’s service. _Read next:_ [_Hagel Retreats from Pentagon Under Fire_](http://time.com/3602263/hagel-pentagon-retreat/?xid=time%5Freadnext) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3602096/chuck-hagel-pentagon-resign/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3602096/chuck-hagel-pentagon-resign/"},"headline":"Pentagon Chief Chuck Hagel Is Stepping Down","datePublished":"2014-11-24T14:40:30.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T23:18:17.000Z","description":"Will stay in post until successor confirmed","url":"https://time.com/3602096/chuck-hagel-pentagon-resign/","keywords":["Military"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8382bf671c55c94e/69876a7f8e0601401b458c57/chuck-hagel-department-of-defense.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Zeke Miller","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8382bf671c55c94e/69876a7f8e0601401b458c57/chuck-hagel-department-of-defense.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Chuck Hagel","caption":"Chuck Hagel","creditText":"Evan Vucci—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/military/","name":"Military"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3602096/chuck-hagel-pentagon-resign/","name":"Pentagon Chief Chuck Hagel Is Stepping Down"}}]}] ```