Person of Interest: U.S. Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel

                                    (Photo: Dep. of Defense)

                                         by David Parmer

“To question your government is not unpatriotic–to not question your government is unpatriotic.”

 On February 26, 2013, then Senator Chuck Hagel was confirmed as the 24th Secretary of Defense of the United States. His confirmation was not without controversy. Nominated on Jan 7, 2013 by President Barak Obama, he faced stiff grilling from congress, particularly his Republican colleagues. His nomination was the first ever to be filibustered. Ostensibly, congress was concerned about his support for Israel, which is a pillar of American foreign policy. Ultimately Hagel weathered the storm and was nominated. One would think that Republicans would be glad to have one of their own in a top position in a Democratic administration, and would have given him a pass. And the reason they didn’t? Probably very simple: from the beginning of his political career, Chuck Hagel has been his own man, i.e. he has followed his conscience and done what he sees as right and good for the country, not just his own party.

Hagel has had a steady, if not meteoric rise to the top. He was born on October 4, 1946 in North Platte, Nebraska the oldest of six children. He attended Catholic high school, started technical school and then volunteered for the U.S. Army. He served in Vietnam, was wounded twice and rose to the rank of sergeant. After the Army, he worked in various jobs in radio, and attended the University of Nebraska, graduating in 1971 with a degree in history. Hagel’s career in politics began when he was a staffer for Nebraska Republican Congressman John Y. McCollistor. After working as a lobbyist, he served on Ronald Regan’s successful presidential campaign. In the 1980s he cofounded Vanguard Cellular Systems, and in 1996 launched his own senate campaign.  He was a U.S. senator from 1997-2009. During the Iraq war Senator Hagel was critical of the Bush administration and the policies of his own party. He was openly critical of Bush insiders like Carl Rove. He also strongly opposed Bush’s 2007 plan to send another 20,000 troops to Iraq.

From 2009, following his retirement from the senate and prior to his nomination in 2013, Hagel was a professor at the Edmund A Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He also continued to pursue his various business interests.

Secretary Hagel has come aboard in some interesting times. And the global chess board, once intelligible and potentially manageable, now looks more like a game of Jumanji. As Secretary of Defense he must deal with multiple challenges, including America’s pivot to Asia and its support for its Asian allies in the face of growing disputes with China, Russia’s actions in Ukraine, and the ongoing challenges of terrorism, failed states and the nuclear threat from North Korea.

The spearhead of American power must be sharp, but the spear must be wielded judiciously. And who better to do it than Chuck Hagel, a former soldier who has seen the face of war firsthand and knows the costs of war.

 (Compiled from Web sources)