WASHINGTON (Feb. 13, 2013) — By a 14-11 party-line vote, the Senate Armed Services Committee approved the nomination of Chuck Hagel to be the Obama administration's next secretary of defense.
Mr. Hagel, 66, served as a Republican senator from Nebraska from 1997 to 2009. From 1977 to 1980, he was government affairs manager for the former Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. in Washington, D.C.
If confirmed by the full Senate, Mr. Hagel would succeed outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. Mr. Hagel would be the first Vietnam War veteran to serve as defense secretary, and also the first enlisted man.
Mr. Hagel faces massive opposition from his former Republican colleagues in the Senate, who have questioned his positions on Iran, Israel and nuclear weapons. A full Senate vote could take place as early as this week.