Decision Maker

Chuck Hagel

Secretary of Defense

Chuck Hagel is an American veteran and former politician who served as the United States Secretary of Defense from 2013 to 2015, appointed during the Obama administration. Born in North Platte, Nebraska, Hagel made a career in the military before entering politics, serving in the Vietnam War and receiving two Purple Hearts. He became a U.S. senator from Nebraska, a position he held from 1997 to 2009, where he was known to be a bipartisan figure. Hagel's tenure as Secretary of Defense was characterized by key decisions on budget cuts and reduction of military personnel, as well as his support for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.