Chuck Hagel

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced his resignation Monday

President Obama announced the resignation of Chuck Hagel Monday, commending the secretary of defense for his “steady hand” through a period of transition for America’s military. Obama suggested that it was Hagel’s decision to resign after less than two years in office, saying, “If there’s one thing I know about Chuck, it’s that he does not make this or any other decision lightly.” The 68-year-old Hagel said he will say on the job “every day, every moment” until his successor is nominated and confirmed by the Senate.

U.S. Defense Secretary Directed ‘Nuclear-Free’ Activist Group

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered what is being described in media reports as top-to-bottom changes in how the nation’s nuclear arsenal is managed. Largely unreported in the coverage of the possible nuclear forces shakeup is that until his appointment as defense secretary, Hagel served on the board of a George Soros-funded group that advocates a nuclear-free world. Ploughshares opposes America’s development of a missile-defense system and contributes funds to scores of anti-war groups highly critical of U.