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Chuck Hagel Confirmed As Pentagon Head After Senate Vote

Salomon Fuentes |
February 26, 2013 | 4:04 p.m. PST

Executive Producer

Chuck Hagel (left) was chosen by President Obama to succeed Leon Panetta (right) (Creative Commons/Secretary of Defense)
Chuck Hagel (left) was chosen by President Obama to succeed Leon Panetta (right) (Creative Commons/Secretary of Defense)
Former U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the 24th Secretary of Defense Tuesday, and will succeed Leon Panetta as the head of the Pentagon.

Hagel, who served for many years as a Republican senator from Nebraska, found himself under fire from members of his own party during a rougher than expected confirmation hearing over his views on Israel and supposed ties to Hamas.

As previously reported by Neon Tommy, Senate Republicans engaged in a 12-day filibuster that only ended Tuesday morning after moderate members of the party, including Arizona senator John McCain and South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham, agreed to vote for Hagel.

Hagel's confirmation comes at a crucial juncture for the Pentagon, with potential budget cuts coming in the years to comes. President Obama warned that cuts could be imminent in the following weeks, however, if the automatic budget cuts triggered by "the sequester" take place.

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