What Chuck Hagel would, and wouldn't, bring to job of Defense secretary

Republican Chuck Hagel, a former US senator with a strong independent streak, is now widely seen as the front-runner for the job of secretary of Defense.

Aside from having forged a friendship with President Obama, Mr. Hagel has several other assets that may play to his favor as the president reshapes his national security team for his second term.

For starters, senators would likely afford Hagel the sort of easy confirmation process that fellow lawmakers tend to accord one another.

Then, there's the 'R' after his name. In nominating a Republican, Mr. Obama would again demonstrate his commitment to bipartisanship, as he did by carrying former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates – a Bush appointee – over into his administration.

Next, Hagel is a military combat veteran. He served in Vietnam alongside his brother, who was a fellow squad leader. Such experience is helpful for a potential Pentagon head serving in the wake of two decade-long wars, because he knows intimately the struggles of those returning from battle, longtime colleagues point out. [Editor's note: The original version of this paragraph misidentified the brothers' role in the military.]

“Chuck Hagel has the experience as a combat veteran with two purple hearts and an understanding that the decisions that are made in Washington ultimately are carried out by young men and women across the globe,” Sen. Jack Reed (R) of Rhode Island and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Politico. “That is a very important intellectual, emotional asset.”

But the degree to which Hagel and Obama appear to be in sync on policy affecting the Pentagon may be what has moved him to the head of the line. 

The two have long worked together, first as senators and lately in the president’s council of advisers, where Hagel serves as co-chairman of Obama’s Intelligence Advisory Board. 

They forged a friendship due in large part to Hagel’s willingness to take on members of his own party. Hagel supported Obama’s 2008 presidential candidacy, and has asked tough questions about America’s wars. He opposed the invasion of Iraq, crossed party lines to call for an investigation into pre-war intelligence on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, and even questioned Obama’s decision to surge troops into Afghanistan, comparing it with an increase of forces in Vietnam. 

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