DefenceTalkA pair of frontrunners have emerged to take charge at the Pentagon after President Barack Obama announced the departure of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. If former under-secretary Michele Flournoy gets the nod, she would be the first woman to hold the role, and neither she nor former deputy secretary Ashton Carter have served in uniform. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/frontrunners-emerge-for-top-pentagon-job-61073/

DefenceTalkUS Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will resign on Monday, senior officials told reporters, as the White House faced mounting criticism over its handling of the war against the Islamic State group and the campaign in Afghanistan. The former senator, who has been in the job for less than two years, was chosen to oversee a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-defense-secretary-hagel-resigns-61068/

DefenceTalkSecretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced today a comprehensive action plan to reform to the nuclear enterprise and called for additional critical investments in sustainment as well as measures to address longstanding cultural issues that have hurt the morale of the nuclear force. In February of this year, following a series of events involving the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/secretary-of-defense-hagel-announces-nuclear-force-reforms-61004/

DefenceTalkDefense Secretary Chuck Hagel arrived in New Delhi today on his first trip to India as defense chief for what he described as get-acquainted meetings with the new government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi while seeking to expand common interests and renew a defense framework agreement set to expire next year. “I’m going to listen […]https://www.defencetalk.com/hagel-seeks-to-expand-us-india-defense-relations-60331/

DefenceTalkNATO European allies must dedicate more money to defense spending, and all are ready to do their part in the follow-on operation in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said at NATO headquarters in Brussels today. The secretary spoke at a news conference after meetings with alliance defense ministers. Russia’s actions in and around Ukraine were […]https://www.defencetalk.com/hagel-urges-european-nato-members-to-boost-defense-budgets-59777/

DefenceTalkUS Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will fly to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel next week for talks that are expected to focus on Iran’s nuclear program and Syria’s civil war, officials said Friday. “This trip will be the secretary’s third to the Middle East in just over a year, and it will advance America’s regional […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-chief-to-head-to-saudi-israel-next-week-59563/

DefenceTalkQINGDAO, China: On Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s first official visit to China, the Peoples’ Liberation Army allowed him, in response to a request made in January, to become the first foreign visitor to tour the sleek refitted Russian aircraft carrier — the PLA’s first — called Liaoning. China is Hagel’s third stop after multiday meetings […]https://www.defencetalk.com/hagel-visits-chinese-aircraft-carrier-liaoning-59269/

DefenceTalkFor reasons a senior defense official said included North Korean provocations, treaty commitments to Japan and U.S. national security interests, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said today that the United States will send Japan two more Aegis-equipped ballistic-missile defense ships by 2017. The ships are designed to intercept ballistic missiles post-boost phase and before reentry. When […]https://www.defencetalk.com/hagel-us-sends-2-more-aegis-ships-to-japan-59247/

DefenceTalkDefense Secretary Chuck Hagel has proposed cuts in military spending that include further reductions in troop strength and force structure in every military service in the coming year as part of an effort to prioritize U.S. strategic interests in the face of reduced resources after more than a decade of war. At a Pentagon news […]https://www.defencetalk.com/hagel-outlines-budget-reducing-troop-strength-force-structure-58856/

DefenceTalkDefense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered a sweeping review of the US nuclear force after a series of embarrassing incidents including cheating on an exam by missile officers, officials said Thursday. The Pentagon chief also planned to summon top commanders as recent lapses and allegations “raise legitimate concerns about the department’s stewardship of one of […]https://www.defencetalk.com/hagel-orders-review-of-troubled-us-nuclear-force-50159/