| Chuck Hagel | |
| |
| 6th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office: January 20, 2009 | |
| President: | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by: | Kevin C. Kiley |
| 21st United States Secretary of Defense | |
| In office: January 20, 2001 – January 10, 2007 | |
| President: | John McCain |
| Deputy: | Gordon R. England |
| Preceded by: | William Cohen |
| Succeded by: | Robert Gates |
| United States Senator from Nebraska | |
| In office: January 7, 1997 – January 3, 2001 | |
| President: | John McCain |
| Preceded by: | J. James Exon |
| Succeded by: | Mike Johanns |
| Deputy Administrator of Veteran Affairs | |
| In office: 1981 – 1982 | |
| President: | John McCain |
| President: | Ronald Reagan |
| Biography | |
| Born: | October 4, 1946 (age 62) North Platte, Nebraska, U.S.A. |
| Nationality: | American |
| Political party: | Republican |
| Spouse: | Lilibet Hagel |
| Children: | Allyn Hagel Ziller Hagel |
| Alma mater: | University of Nebraska at Omaha |
| Occupation: | Electronics executive, Politician |
| Religion: | Episcopalian |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance: | United States of America |
| Service/branch: | United States Army |
| Years of service: | 1967 - 1968 |
| Rank: |  Sergeant
|
| Battles/wars: | Vietnam War |
| Awards: | Purple Heart Army Commendation Medal Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry Combat Infantry Badge |
Charles Timothy "Chuck" Hagel (born October 4, 1946) is an American politician. He was the United States Senator from Nebraska between 1997 and 2001, and served as the 21st United States Secretary of Defense between 2001 and 2007 under President John McCain and currently as the 6th Secretary of Veterans Affairs under President George W. Bush.
Early life and family[]
Born in North Platte, Nebraska, to Betty and Charles Hagel, who had German and Polish ancestry, he graduated from St. Bonaventure High School (now Scotus Central Catholic High School) in Columbus, Nebraska, and the Brown Institute for Radio and Television in 1966 and from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1972. Hagel is a Vietnam War veteran, having served in the United States Army infantry, attaining the rank of Sergeant (E-5) from 1967–1968. While serving during the Vietnam War, he received the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge. After returning from Vietnam, Hagel worked as a bartender and radio newscaster while finishing college.
Hagel married Lilibet Ziller in April, 1985. The couple live with their daughter, Allyn, and son, Ziller, in McLean, Virginia.
Hagel's brother, Thomas, also a veteran of the Vietnam War, is a professor at the University of Dayton School of Law.
Career in Washington[]
In 1971, Hagel was hired as a staffer for Congressman John Y. McCollister (R-NE), serving until 1977. For the next four years, he worked as a lobbyist for Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, and, in 1980, he served as an organizer for the successful presidential campaign of former California Governor Ronald Reagan.
After Reagan's inauguration as President, Hagel was named deputy administrator of the Veterans Administration. In 1982, however, he resigned his post over a disagreement with V.A. Administrator Robert P. Nimmo, who was intent on cutting funding for V.A. programs, and who had referred to veterans groups as "greedy", and to Agent Orange as not much worse than a "little teenage acne".
Business career[]
After leaving government employment, Hagel co-founded Vanguard Cellular, a mobile phone manufacturer that made him a multi-millionaire. While working with Vanguard, he served as president and chief executive officer of the United Service Organizations and the Private Sector Council, as deputy director and chief operating officer of the 1990 G7 Summit, and on the board of directors or advisory committee of the American Red Cross, the Eisenhower World Affairs Institute, Bread for the World, and the Ripon Society. He also served as Chairman of the Agent Orange Settlement Fund and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Although he was pressured by some to run for Governor of Virginia, where he had lived for 20 years, in 1992 Hagel moved back to Nebraska to become president of the McCarthy Group, an investment banking firm. He also served as a Chairman and was CEO of American Information Systems Inc. (AIS), a voting machine manufacturer, this same company electronically counted 80% of the votes in the state in the very same election that he had his stunning upset. He did not disclose his position as CEO of the company in his mandated disclosures, until its name-change to Election Systems & Software (ES&S) in 1997. He had ownership interest in ES&S through its parent company The McCarthy Group as of January 29, 2003, when The Hill reported that, due to his ownership interest, “Hagel’s ethics filings pose disclosure issue”.
Senate carreer[]
In 1996, Chuck Hagel ran for the US Senate against Ben Nelson, who was the sitting governor of Nebraska. Although many people believed he had no chance of winning, he won a "stunning upset" in the election, receiving 56% of the vote (Nelson was later elected to Nebraska's other Senate seat, in 2000). During his first campaign, Hagel indicated that, were he to be elected, he would retire in 2008 after two terms in the Senate.
Since his election to the Senate in 1996, Hagel served as deputy whip for the Republican Caucus. He was chair of both the Senate Global Climate Change Observer Group and the Senate Oversight Task Force. He served as co-chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. He also served on the NATO Observer Group. Hagel was a member of four Senate committees: Foreign Relations; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; the Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Committee on Rules and Administration.
Hagel's name was widely rumoured to be one of those considered by McCain as a potential running mate in the 2000 election.
Hagel had a tradition of wearing costumes to work on Halloween, usually masquerading as colleagues or other notable political figures, among these include Joe Biden, John McCain, Colin Powell, and Pat Roberts in past years.
Secretary of Defense[]
Hagel was named Defense Secretary soon after President John McCain took office in 2001. While assuming office, Hagel announced a series of sweeping reviews intended to transform the U.S. military into a lighter force. These studies were led by Pentagon analyst Andrew Marshall.
Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Hagel led the military planning and execution of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Hagel pushed hard to send as strong a force as possible to both conflicts supported by forces of other NATO allies. In 2006, he contributed to the military planning of the aerial campaign against Sudan along with the military leadership of the other NATO countries.
Military reforms[]
As part of the McCain administration's reforms to strengthen the military, a series of reforms were made, including the scrubbing of the Pentagon budget for pork barrel projects. "Pork barrel" projects like the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, the Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser, and the Science Applications International Corporation Future Combat Systems were either cancelled or reorganised.
Progress in terms of finding an replacement of the ageing M16 and M4 were also made. The U.S. Army’s Delta Force and the American defense manufacturing company Colt Defence collaborated with the German defense manufacturing companiy Heckler & Koch to develop the new carbine. The result was the HK416 (in U.S. service given the designation HKM4). As the first U.S. Army unit, Delta Force replaced its M4s with the HKM4 in 2004 after tests revealed that the piston operating system significantly reduces malfunctions while increasing the life of parts.
The carbine uses a proprietary gas system derived from the HK G36, replacing the direct impingement gas system used by the standard M16/M4. The HK system uses a short-stroke piston driving an operating rod to force the bolt carrier to the rear. This design prevents combustion gases from entering the weapon’s interior, a short-coming with direct impingement systems. The reduction in heat and fouling of the bolt carrier group increases the reliability of the weapon and extends the interval between stoppages. It also reduces operator cleaning time and stress on critical components.
Beginning in 2009, the HKM4 is replacing the M4 in some combat units stationed overseas, while Norway and Turkey has made the HK416 their new main assault rifles.
Retirement[]
On September 6, 2006, Hagel announced that he would be retiring as the Secretary of Defence at the end of the year. He left office on January 10, 2007, and was replaced by Homeland Security Secretary Robert Gates.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs[]
On December 7, 2008, then-President-elect George W. Bush announced at a press conference that once in office, he would nominate Hagel to become the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. He was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on January 20, 2009.
Awards and honors[]
Hagel is a Nebraska Admiral, an honorary title considering Nebraska is a landlocked state. On June 9, 2007, he gave the commencement address for North Central College and was given an honorary L.L.D.
See also[]
| Political offices | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Preceded by: Kevin C. Kiley |
6th Secretary of Veterans Affairs of the United States 2009 – present |
Incumbent |
|
Preceded by: William Cohen |
21st Secretary of Defense of the United States 2001 – 2007 |
Succeeded by: Robert Gates |
| United States Senate | |||
|
Preceded by: J. James Exon |
United States Senator (Class 2) from Nebraska 1997 – 2001 Served alongside: Bob Kerrey, Ben Nelson |
Succeeded by: Mike Johanns |
| Party political offices | |||
| File:Repubican Party (USA) Logo.png | Preceded by: Hal Daub |
Republican Party nominee for United States Senator from Nebraska (Class 2) 1996 |
Succeeded by: Mike Johanns |
| Order of precedence in the United States of America | |||
|
Preceded by: Bill Benett Secretary of Education |
United States order of precedence United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs |
Succeeded by: Tom Ridge Secretary of Homeland Security |
| United States Presidential Line of Succession 12th in line | |||
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