Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel | ...universally acknowledged to be The Third Smartest Man in the room, about which he is legitimately proud... |
The Pentagon chief said the department would approach the budget holistically and over the long run, trying to preserve military readiness and capability while establishing a sustainable path for modernizing major weapons systems. Under the Budget Control Act of 2011, the Pentagon is required to cut nearly a trillion dollars in projected spending over the next decade.
The team unveiled by Hagel on Friday would be responsible for navigating the difficulties. Hagel said President Barack Obama
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had named former Navy Undersecretary Robert Work, a retired Marine colonel who currently heads the Center for a New American Security think-tank, as deputy secretary of defense.
Obama last week nominated Michael McCord as the new Pentagon comptroller to replace Robert Hale, Christine Wormuth as undersecretary of defense for policy to replace James Miller, and Brian McKeon as principal deputy undersecretary of defense to replace Kathleen Hicks.
The nominees must be confirmed by the Senate before taking their positions. Hagel hailed the group as "four of the most experienced national security professionals that DoD (Department of Defense) has had in these positions at any one time."