Chuck Hagel

Former Secretary of Defense and Senator

• Born: October 4, 1946
• Birthplace: North Platte, Nebraska

Republican Chuck Hagel, a former Nebraska senator and US secretary of defense, was known for operating under the view that active participation in the global village will keep Americans safe and the economy secure. He stated his belief that trade and partnerships, as opposed to sanctions and military action, are the answers to most foreign-relations problems.

Early Life

Charles Timothy Hagel was born in North Platte, Nebraska, on October 4, 1946. After graduating from St. Bonaventure High School in Columbus, he went on to graduate from the Brown Institute for Radio and TV in Minneapolis in 1966 and earn a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Nebraska Omaha in 1971. In between, he volunteered to serve in the US Army during the Vietnam War. Hagel was injured in 1968 while leading an infantry squad in the army's Ninth Infantry Division and was awarded two Purple Hearts for his service.

Professional and Political Career

When he returned from Vietnam, Hagel began working as a newscaster and talk-show host in Omaha. In 1971, he moved to Washington, DC, to serve as administrative assistant for Nebraska's Republican congressman John Y. McCollister, a position he held for six years. Deciding to stay in the nation's capital, he became manger of government affairs for the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company in 1977.

In 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated Hagel to be deputy administrator of the Veterans Administration; the following year, he served as US deputy commissioner general for the 1982 World's Fair. In the mid-1980s, having caught the entrepreneurial spirit and fueled by emerging technology, Hagel helped found Vanguard Cellular Systems, which would eventually become the second-largest independent cell-phone company in the country.

During his time at Vanguard, Hagel also served as president and CEO of the United Service Organizations (USO), a position he held from 1987 to 1990. In 1990, he was appointed deputy director and chief operating officer of the sixteenth G7 summit, held in Houston. Hagel has also been a member of the board of directors and national advisory committee of the Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and participated in the tenth-anniversary commemoration of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. After his election to the Senate in 1997, Hagel was asked to serve as cochair of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Corporate Council.

Hagel returned to Omaha in 1992, whereupon he became president of the McCarthy Group, an investment banking firm. In 1993 he was named CEO of American Information Systems (AIS), a position he held until 1994. He served as chairman of the board for the company from July 1992 to March 1995. In 2003, his disclosure of his ties to the company, which manufacturers voting machines, was a source of some controversy, as AIS machines were used by voters in his Senate election.

Nebraska voters, impressed with Hagel's efforts in the public and private sectors, elected him to the one of the state's US Senate seats in 1996. It was his first campaign for elected office.

Congressional Agenda

After becoming a senator, Hagel devoted much of his attention to foreign relations. His efforts were focused on creating global institutions and alliances to address issues ranging from climate control to terrorism. Promoting trade, which would benefit farmers in his state, was also central to his efforts. He was a member of the Committee on Foreign Relations, where he served as chair of the Subcommittee on International Economic Policy, Export and Trade Promotion; the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, where he chaired the Subcommittee on International Trade and Finance; and the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, for which he served as cochair.

Hagel opposed the imposition of economic sanctions and began speaking out on the issue during his first term. In 2001, only he and Senator Richard Lugar (R-Indiana) voted against an extension of sanctions against Iran and Libya. His global outlook put him at odds with George W. Bush's administration in 2002, when the president referred to Iraq, Iran, and North Korea as an "axis of evil" in his State of the Union address. Believing that trade, not military confrontation, would reform countries at risk for sponsoring terrorism, Hagel himself attempted to repair diplomatic ties with Iran the following year.

In the debate surrounding the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, Hagel advocated caution and cooperation with US allies to effect regime change. His "yes" vote did support the use of military force against Iraq, but his public statements emphasized the need for support from other countries.

Hagel retired from the Senate when his term ended in January 2009. In February, Hagel was elected chairman of the Atlantic Council, a public-policy group based in Washington, DC.

Secretary of Defense

In January 2013, President Barack Obama nominated Hagel to be secretary of defense for his second term, succeeding his first-term defense secretary Leon Panetta. Hagel was a contentious choice, sparking disapproval from both sides of the aisle due to previous comments he had made criticizing Israeli foreign policy and recommending open negotiation with Iran and the Palestinian group Hamas, as well as a perception of him as being antigay. Though a member of the Republican party, he was subject to a filibuster by Republicans, becoming the first secretary of defense candidate to be blocked in that way. Despite this strong opposition, Hagel's appointment was confirmed, and he was officially sworn in as secretary of defense on February 27, 2013.

In his cabinet position, Hagel undertook several major initiatives, including an effort to cut the military budget, a plan to improve military response to sexual assault and other issues among personnel, and involvement in negotiations in the Middle East. Nevertheless, Hagel announced his impending resignation as defense secretary in November 2014, less than two years after taking the position. The New York Times reported that the Obama administration had pressured Hagel to resign and attributed the decision to a combination of internal tensions and the sudden escalation of several global conflicts. Hagel later complained of micromanagement by the White House during his tenure and of efforts by some in the Obama administration to ruin his personal reputation after his resignation. He also criticized what he perceived as the administration's lack of a clear policy on Syria, which had fallen into civil war, further complicated by the rise of the terrorist organization Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS, also known as ISIL or IS). He officially left the position in February 2015.

Personal Life

Hagel married his first wife, Patricia Lloyd, in 1979; they divorced in 1982. He then married Lilibet Ziller in 1985. The couple have a daughter, Allyn, and a son, Ziller. In 2008, Hagel published the political book America: Our Next Chapter: Tough Questions, Straight Answers.

Bibliography

Associated Press. "Chuck Hagel Bio and Resume." Politico. Politico, 7 Jan. 2013. Web. 17 Jan. 2015.

Bumiller, Elisabeth. "Hagel Has Rough Outing before Ex-Colleagues." New York Times. New York Times, 31 Jan. 2013. Web. 17 Jan. 2015.

Cooper, Helene. "Hagel Resigns under Pressure as Global Crises Test Pentagon." New York Times. New York Times, 24 Nov. 2014. Web. 17 Jan. 2015.

De Luce, Dan. "Hagel: The White House Tried to 'Destroy' Me." Foreign Policy, 18 Dec. 2015, foreignpolicy.com/2015/12/18/hagel-the-white-house-tried-to-destroy-me/. Accessed 12 June 2017.

Shinkman, Paul D. "Chuck Hagel Explains Why He Resigned as Secretary of Defense." US News & World Report, 4 Dec. 2014, www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/12/04/chuck-hagel-explains-why-he-resigned-as-secretary-of-defense. Accessed 12 June 2017.