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| Hagel Resigns Under Pressure as Global Crises Test Pentagon | Hagel Resigns Under Pressure as Global Crises Test Pentagon |
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| WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel resigned under pressure on Monday after President Obama determined that he had to shake up his national security team in the face of escalating conflicts overseas and hawkish Republicans reasserting themselves on Capitol Hill. | WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel resigned under pressure on Monday after President Obama determined that he had to shake up his national security team in the face of escalating conflicts overseas and hawkish Republicans reasserting themselves on Capitol Hill. |
| It was a striking reversal for a president who chose Mr. Hagel two years ago in part to limit the power of Pentagon officials who had repeatedly pushed for more troops in Afghanistan and a slower drawdown of American forces from Iraq. But in the end, Mr. Hagel’s passivity and lack of support in Mr. Obama’s inner circle proved too much for an administration that found itself back on a war footing. | It was a striking reversal for a president who chose Mr. Hagel two years ago in part to limit the power of Pentagon officials who had repeatedly pushed for more troops in Afghanistan and a slower drawdown of American forces from Iraq. But in the end, Mr. Hagel’s passivity and lack of support in Mr. Obama’s inner circle proved too much for an administration that found itself back on a war footing. |
| Aides said Mr. Obama made the decision to remove his defense secretary on Friday after weeks of rising tension over a variety of issues, including what administration officials said were Mr. Hagel’s delays in transferring detainees from the military prison in Guantánamo Bay and a dispute with Susan E. Rice, the national security adviser, over Syria policy. | Aides said Mr. Obama made the decision to remove his defense secretary on Friday after weeks of rising tension over a variety of issues, including what administration officials said were Mr. Hagel’s delays in transferring detainees from the military prison in Guantánamo Bay and a dispute with Susan E. Rice, the national security adviser, over Syria policy. |
| The strains were evident in a stilted ceremony on Monday at the White House, where Mr. Obama called the defense secretary he had pushed out “exemplary” and lauded his status as the first enlisted combat veteran to hold the job, saying it had helped him to empathize with American soldiers. “He’s been in the dirt. He’s been in the mud,” Mr. Obama said. “He sees himself in them. They see themselves in him.” | The strains were evident in a stilted ceremony on Monday at the White House, where Mr. Obama called the defense secretary he had pushed out “exemplary” and lauded his status as the first enlisted combat veteran to hold the job, saying it had helped him to empathize with American soldiers. “He’s been in the dirt. He’s been in the mud,” Mr. Obama said. “He sees himself in them. They see themselves in him.” |
| But as the president spoke of the “blood and treasure and sacrifices” of enlisted men and women like Mr. Hagel, turning several times to try to address his defense secretary directly, Mr. Hagel stared ahead fixedly, declining to make eye contact with Mr. Obama. | But as the president spoke of the “blood and treasure and sacrifices” of enlisted men and women like Mr. Hagel, turning several times to try to address his defense secretary directly, Mr. Hagel stared ahead fixedly, declining to make eye contact with Mr. Obama. |
| When it was his turn to speak, Mr. Hagel described the president’s national security strategy as a “team effort,” and spoke of trying to “build teams and to work together to make things happen for the good of the country.” | When it was his turn to speak, Mr. Hagel described the president’s national security strategy as a “team effort,” and spoke of trying to “build teams and to work together to make things happen for the good of the country.” |
| In reality, Mr. Hagel was never able to penetrate the president’s tight national security team of West Wing loyalists, officials at the White House and the Pentagon said. And faced with the calls for a shake-up of his national security staff to better deal with an onslaught of global crises, Mr. Obama balked at the idea of replacing Ms. Rice, Secretary of State John Kerry or the powerful White House chief of staff, Denis R. McDonough. | In reality, Mr. Hagel was never able to penetrate the president’s tight national security team of West Wing loyalists, officials at the White House and the Pentagon said. And faced with the calls for a shake-up of his national security staff to better deal with an onslaught of global crises, Mr. Obama balked at the idea of replacing Ms. Rice, Secretary of State John Kerry or the powerful White House chief of staff, Denis R. McDonough. |
| The president is “too close to Susan Rice, and John Kerry’s in the middle of Iran negotiations,” said one administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “So he went for the low-hanging fruit” — Mr. Hagel, who was criticized by White House aides as largely silent in meetings, and who Mr. Obama had often bypassed in recent months for Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a favorite in the West Wing. | The president is “too close to Susan Rice, and John Kerry’s in the middle of Iran negotiations,” said one administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “So he went for the low-hanging fruit” — Mr. Hagel, who was criticized by White House aides as largely silent in meetings, and who Mr. Obama had often bypassed in recent months for Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a favorite in the West Wing. |
| In the view of White House officials, Mr. Hagel has helped to thwart Mr. Obama’s pledge to close Guantánamo with his concerns about the security risks posed by the release of detainees. He recently pulled back from plans to repatriate four Afghans who had been approved for transfer, a decision that annoyed Ms. Rice, officials said. | In the view of White House officials, Mr. Hagel has helped to thwart Mr. Obama’s pledge to close Guantánamo with his concerns about the security risks posed by the release of detainees. He recently pulled back from plans to repatriate four Afghans who had been approved for transfer, a decision that annoyed Ms. Rice, officials said. |
| White House officials also expressed annoyance over a sharply critical two-page memo that Mr. Hagel sent to Ms. Rice last month, in which he warned that the administration’s Syria policy was in danger of unraveling because of its failure to clarify its intentions toward President Bashar al-Assad. Senior officials complained that Mr. Hagel had never made such a case in internal debates, suggesting that he was trying to position himself for history on a crucial issue as he was talking to Mr. Obama about leaving his job. Mr. Hagel’s defenders said he stayed quiet to avoid leaks. | White House officials also expressed annoyance over a sharply critical two-page memo that Mr. Hagel sent to Ms. Rice last month, in which he warned that the administration’s Syria policy was in danger of unraveling because of its failure to clarify its intentions toward President Bashar al-Assad. Senior officials complained that Mr. Hagel had never made such a case in internal debates, suggesting that he was trying to position himself for history on a crucial issue as he was talking to Mr. Obama about leaving his job. Mr. Hagel’s defenders said he stayed quiet to avoid leaks. |
| “When your cabinet officials feel like they have to write you a letter, that suggests a larger problem,” said Vikram Singh, who worked on Afghanistan policy at the Pentagon under Mr. Hagel and who is now at the Center for American Progress, a Washington research organization with close ties to the Obama administration. | “When your cabinet officials feel like they have to write you a letter, that suggests a larger problem,” said Vikram Singh, who worked on Afghanistan policy at the Pentagon under Mr. Hagel and who is now at the Center for American Progress, a Washington research organization with close ties to the Obama administration. |
| Rear Adm. John F. Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman, credited Mr. Hagel for managing the Pentagon after it had spent more than a decade at war. “It’s easy to go from peace to war,” Admiral Kirby said. “It’s more difficult to go from war to peace.” He called Mr. Hagel “the first defense secretary in nearly two decades to be confronted with the reality of shrinking budgets as well as the actual impact” of automatic defense budget cuts. | Rear Adm. John F. Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman, credited Mr. Hagel for managing the Pentagon after it had spent more than a decade at war. “It’s easy to go from peace to war,” Admiral Kirby said. “It’s more difficult to go from war to peace.” He called Mr. Hagel “the first defense secretary in nearly two decades to be confronted with the reality of shrinking budgets as well as the actual impact” of automatic defense budget cuts. |
| Mr. Hagel, he said, “led the department in making difficult budget choices, particularly in the military’s force structure, and compensation and benefits programs, while sustaining and expanding programs relevant for the future,” such as cyberwarfare and the Joint Strike Fighter. | Mr. Hagel, he said, “led the department in making difficult budget choices, particularly in the military’s force structure, and compensation and benefits programs, while sustaining and expanding programs relevant for the future,” such as cyberwarfare and the Joint Strike Fighter. |
| In many ways, Mr. Hagel’s demise was reminiscent of that of another marquee outsider who was never able to penetrate the inner circle — Gen. James L. Jones, the former Marine commandant whom Mr. Obama named as his first national security adviser, but who never struck a close bond with his boss or the rest of the national security team. | |
| If the ouster of Mr. Hagel was intended to minimize coming fights with Congress, the Republicans were not impressed on Monday. “The Obama administration is now in the market for their fourth secretary of defense,” Representative Howard (Buck) McKeon, Republican of California, said. “When the president goes through three secretaries, he should ask, ‘Is it them, or is it me?’ ” | If the ouster of Mr. Hagel was intended to minimize coming fights with Congress, the Republicans were not impressed on Monday. “The Obama administration is now in the market for their fourth secretary of defense,” Representative Howard (Buck) McKeon, Republican of California, said. “When the president goes through three secretaries, he should ask, ‘Is it them, or is it me?’ ” |
| Mr. Hagel, who followed Robert M. Gates and Leon E. Panetta at the Pentagon, will continue to serve until Mr. Obama’s next defense secretary is confirmed, which could take some time. Administration officials said that the list of possibilities include Michèle A. Flournoy, a former under secretary of defense. But she is viewed as close to former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and could find herself facing the same outsider issues as Mr. Hagel had. Ashton B. Carter, a former deputy secretary of defense, is also on the list, administration officials said. | Mr. Hagel, who followed Robert M. Gates and Leon E. Panetta at the Pentagon, will continue to serve until Mr. Obama’s next defense secretary is confirmed, which could take some time. Administration officials said that the list of possibilities include Michèle A. Flournoy, a former under secretary of defense. But she is viewed as close to former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and could find herself facing the same outsider issues as Mr. Hagel had. Ashton B. Carter, a former deputy secretary of defense, is also on the list, administration officials said. |
| Senator Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island and a former Army Ranger, was also considered to be a contender, but his spokesman said that he was not in the running. “Senator Reed loves his job and does not wish to be considered for secretary of defense or any other cabinet post,” the spokesman said. | Senator Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island and a former Army Ranger, was also considered to be a contender, but his spokesman said that he was not in the running. “Senator Reed loves his job and does not wish to be considered for secretary of defense or any other cabinet post,” the spokesman said. |
| Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, suggested the administration consider former Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut, urging the president to give “full and fair consideration for this critical position.” But Mr. Lieberman’s views on national security echo those of Senator John McCain, who is sharply critical of Mr. Obama, and he would probably be viewed as far too conservative by the White House. | |
| In his two years in the job, Mr. Hagel’s national security views closely followed Mr. Obama’s, which made his dismissal more noteworthy. Mr. Hagel largely carried out Mr. Obama’s orders on matters like bringing back American troops from Afghanistan and trimming the Pentagon budget, without the pushback that characterized the tenure of Mr. Gates. | In his two years in the job, Mr. Hagel’s national security views closely followed Mr. Obama’s, which made his dismissal more noteworthy. Mr. Hagel largely carried out Mr. Obama’s orders on matters like bringing back American troops from Afghanistan and trimming the Pentagon budget, without the pushback that characterized the tenure of Mr. Gates. |
| “The next couple of years will demand a different kind of focus,” a senior administration official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. He insisted that Mr. Hagel was not fired, saying that the defense secretary initiated discussions about his future two weeks ago with the president, and that the two men mutually agreed it was time for him to leave. | |
| Now, however, the American military is in escalating crises. Some 3,000 American troops are being deployed in Iraq to help the Iraqi military fight the Sunni militants of the Islamic State, even as the administration struggles to come up with, and articulate, a strategy to defeat the group in both Iraq and Syria. | Now, however, the American military is in escalating crises. Some 3,000 American troops are being deployed in Iraq to help the Iraqi military fight the Sunni militants of the Islamic State, even as the administration struggles to come up with, and articulate, a strategy to defeat the group in both Iraq and Syria. |
| Even Mr. Hagel’s defenders say that articulating strategy is one of his biggest weaknesses. He never entirely gained traction in the administration after a bruising confirmation fight with his old Senate colleagues, when he was criticized for being tentative in his responses to sharp questions. | Even Mr. Hagel’s defenders say that articulating strategy is one of his biggest weaknesses. He never entirely gained traction in the administration after a bruising confirmation fight with his old Senate colleagues, when he was criticized for being tentative in his responses to sharp questions. |
| In the past few months he has been overshadowed by General Dempsey, who officials said had won the confidence of Mr. Obama with his recommendation of military action against the Islamic State. | In the past few months he has been overshadowed by General Dempsey, who officials said had won the confidence of Mr. Obama with his recommendation of military action against the Islamic State. |