#US Defence Secretray Chuck Hagel Steps Down!

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel announced on Monday he is stepping down, leaving under pressure following a rocky tenure in which he has struggled to break through the White House’s insular team of national security advisers, www.khaleejtimes.com reports.

During a White House ceremony, Obama said he and Hagel had determined it was an “appropriate time for him to complete his service.”

Hagel is the first senior Obama adviser to leave the administration following the sweeping losses for the president’s party in the November 4 elections. It also comes as the president’s national security team has been battered by crises including the rise of ISIS militants in Iraq and Syria and Russia’s provocations in Ukraine.

The president praised Hagel, a Republican who grew close to Obama while they both served in the Senate, as an “exemplary defence secretary” who forged a strong bond with troops stationed around the world. 

Read More; http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?section=international&xfile=data/international/2014/November/international_November555.xml