Just as they did when President Barack Obama nominated him to lead the Defense Department, Floridas two U.S. senators -- Democrat Bill Nelson and Republican Marco Rubio -- split as Sec. Chuck Hagel announced his resignation on Monday. Before a White House announcement on Monday, the New York Times reported Hagel was leaving under pressure as President Barack Obama does not think he is the right man to lead the Pentagon as conflict looms with Islamic State (IS) forces.
A senior member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said he was saddened that Hagel was leaving. Nelson served with Hagel when that Nebraska Republican was in the Senate.
Chuck Hagel is a great patriot, Nelson said on Monday. And I believe he has been a very good secretary of defense. Im saddened that the White House was unable to keep him.
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., weighed in as well. Despite opposing Hagels nomination, Rubio gave him some praise before saying other heads needed to roll in the Obama administration.
I appreciate Secretary Hagels service to our country, from his time in the Army decades ago in Vietnam through his tenure as secretary of defense, Rubio said on Monday. I have many concerns with President Obamas national security policies and it is not clear to me that all of this administrations failings fall at Secretary Hagels feet. I hope that this is just the beginning of a shakeup of the presidents national security team to bring fresh perspectives to the unprecedented challenges we as a nation face.
Rubio laid out the challenges he sees for whoever replaces Hagel.
The next secretary of defense will take over a department that is suffering greatly from the impact of sequestration, Rubio said. Our military readiness and ability to modernize and innovate to meet future challenges are being put at risk. We need a bold leader who will speak frankly to the White House and Congress about the need to end sequestration and get the department back on track. We also need someone capable of developing a strategy to defeat IS and consolidate the gains our men and women in uniform have made in Afghanistan. Instead of basing military strategy solely on politics, our next secretary of defense needs to be willing to tell the president and the American people the tough truth about what will be required to succeed in those conflicts.
I hope that whomever the president nominates to succeed Secretary Hagel meets these qualifications, Rubio said in conclusion.
Names being floated to replace Hagel include U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., a former Army Ranger and West Point graduate; former Defense Undersecretary Michele Flournoy; and former Defense Deputy Secretary Ashton Carter.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
