US President Barack Obama is looking for a new Secretary of Defence following the surprise announcement that Chuck Hagel is leaving his administration.
Mr. Obama says Mr. Hagel, a former Republican Senator, took the decision to resign….but there are many reports in Washington indicating that the White House pressured him to leave.
President Obama is said to be unhappy with the way Mr. Hagel handled the US-led battle against Islamic State, and the Pentagon's response to Ebola in West Africa.
Tom Pickering, a former US Ambassador to the United Nations says Mr. Hagel's departure from the government comes just two years after he secured the top job at the Pentagon.
IN: "Too early…."
OUT: "….questions ahead"
DUR: 23 seconds
http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/1124hagel-pickering1.mp3
(ALT)
Former US Ambassador Tom Pickering says the President must now find a new Secretary of Defence with whom he can work more productively.
IN: "He will have….."
OUT: "….ever gelled"
DUR: 18 seconds
http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/1124hagel-pickering2.mp3