A senior administration official subsequently confirmed to Business Insider that Hagel would resign. They said Hagel would announce his decision alongside the president at 11:10 a.m.
"A successor will be named in short order, but Secretary Hagel will remain as Defense Secretary until his replacement is confirmed by the United States Senate," the official said.
Hagel was sworn in as secretary of defense in February 2013. The official characterized his decision to step down as normal administration turnover in the wake of the midterm elections earlier this month.
"In October, Secretary Hagel began speaking with the President about departing the Administration given the natural post-midterms transition time. Those conversations have been ongoing for several weeks," said the official.
Republicans scored widespread victories in the midterms in what was widely seen as a rebuke to President Barack Obama. The Times report described Hagel's resignation as a response to criticism of the Obama administration's handling of several major recent global threats.
"His removal appears to be an effort by the White House to show that it is sensitive to critics who have pointed to stumbles in the government’s early response to several national security issues, including the Ebola crisis and the threat posed by the Islamic State," the Times reported.
An NBC news report published Monday cited "senior defense officials" who said Hagel was "forced to resign" because "the White House has lost confidence in Hagel to carry out his role at the Pentagon." One of the officials quoted by NBC delivered an especially blunt assessment of Hagel:
"He wasn’t up to the job," they said.
The US-led fight against the jihadist group Islamic State (also known as ISIS or ISIL) has been hampered by corruption in the Iraqi military and a lack of coherent US strategy in Syria that has hobbled the large international coalition that joined the effort.
However, the administration official who spoke to Business Insider praised Hagel's leadership at the Department of Defense.
"Over the past two years, Secretary Hagel helped manage an intense period of transition for the United States Armed Forces, including the drawdown in Afghanistan, the need to prepare our forces for future missions, and tough fiscal choices to keep our military strong and ready," said the official. "Over nearly two years, Secretary Hagel has been a steady hand, guiding our military through this transition, and helping us respond to challenges from ISIL to Ebola."
Hagel is from Nebraska and earned two Purple Hearts serving in the Vietnam War. After his time in the military, Hagel worked as a staffer for a Republican congressman and as an organizer for President Ronald Reagan's 1980 White House bid. Following Reagan's election, Hagel was made a deputy administrator for the Veterans Administration. He resigned that post after reportedly "battling to oust his boss," who felt soldiers returning from Vietnam were exaggerated the effects of Agent Orange.
After leaving government, Hagel launched a successful business career including founding a cellphone company that was bought out by A T&T in 1999. His businesses left Hagel with a multimillion dollar fortune.
Hagel went on to run for Senate in Nebraska in 1996 as a Republican. He took office after scoring a major upset victory against Ben Nelson, a Democrat who was the sitting governor of Nebraska. With his victory, Hagel became the state's first Republican senator in 24 years. During his campaign, Hagel promised that, if elected, he would retire after two terms in the Senate. He made good on that campaign vow and left office in 2009.
Despite his membership in the GOP, during his time in the Senate, Hagel was an outspoken critic of Republican President George W. Bush's handling of the Iraq War. In the leadup to the war, Hagel, who was known for an internationalist approach to foreign policy, was adamant it would be a mistake for America to act alone against the regime of then-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
"I think it would be wrong, very shortsighted, and very dangerous for the United States to unilaterally move on Iraq," said Hagel at the time.
Though he eventually voted for the 2002 resolution authorizing the Iraq War, Hagel continually expressed misgivings about the Bush administration's strategy in Iraq. At a 2007 hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, he referred to the war as a "ping-pong game with American lives."
In 2008, Hagel released a book, "America: Our Next Chapter" wherein he outlined his "independent" political positions.
"At the very least, we need more independent leadership, with an independent platform not captive to the restraints of party politics," he wrote.
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Hagel's willingness to challenge his own party earned him the admiration of many liberals in Washington. However, it also left him with conservative opponents. Last year, after President Barack Obama nominated Hagel to be secretary of defense, there was a tough fight in Congress over his confirmation.
Senate Republicans initially blocked Hagel. According to Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, it was the first time in history a nominee for secretary of defense was filibustered. Republicans, who disputed the notion they were filibustering Hagel, were reportedly concerned about his positions on Israel and Iran, his past criticism of the Iraq War, and paid speeches he gave to private groups after leaving the Senate. Hagel was eventually confirmed last February following a cloture vote.
In a speech at the Pentagon after he took the oath as the secretary of defense on Feb, 27, 2013, Hagel said the world was facing a "time of tremendous challenge."
"We’ve made mistakes. We’ll continue to make mistakes. But we are a force for good," said Hagel. "And we should always keep that out in front as much as any one thing that drives us every day."
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/report-defense-secretary-chuck-hagel- is-resigning-2014-11#ixzz3K09D0th6